SALEM: AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday took on the Tamil Nadu government for the Central government's snub for the Coimbatore and Madurai metro rail proposals.
The primary reason the Union government had turned down both the metro rail proposals was the "carelessness and lethargy" of the Tamil Nadu government.
Elaborating, Palaniswami said the projects initiated during the AIADMK regime had suffered setbacks after the DMK came to power, leading to faulty and incomplete DPRs being submitted to the Centre.
Palaniswami said, "During the previous AIADMK government, preliminary work and preparations for drafting a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Coimbatore Metro had been taken up in earnest. However, the DMK government halted progress, and only in 2024 did it send a DPR to the Union government - which was subsequently returned because it did not meet mandatory criteria."
He pointed out that the DPR was prepared using population data from the 2011 Census. "A metro rail project requires a minimum population of 20 lakh. If the state had used the current (2025) population estimates while preparing the DPR, the proposal would have easily met the eligibility norms. This delay and carelessness lie entirely with the state government," he said.
Palaniswami added that the situation was similar in Madurai, where the metro project had also suffered due to inadequate planning.'
Shifting to the Mekedatu issue, Palaniswami criticised Chief Minister M K Stalin for failing to respond to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's recent statement that Karnataka will submit a fresh DPR for this water and power project. "If the reservoir is built, several districts of Tamil Nadu will lose drinking water. Thousands of farmers depend on the Cauvery. Yet the Chief Minister has not offered even a basic explanation," he said.
He noted that the Supreme Court had clearly directed that Karnataka should not block or divert the Cauvery and must release water to Tamil Nadu every month, amounting to 177.25 TMC annually. "The DMK is part of the INDIA bloc along with the Congress. With the Congress ruling Karnataka, the Tamil Nadu government should immediately consult its alliance partner and safeguard the state's rights," he said.
On the law and order situation, he said the government's failure to appoint a permanent DGP showed poor administrative intent. "The post is kept vacant only to appoint someone favourable. TN should stop delaying and make a proper appointment," he said.
Speaking on the electoral roll revision, Palaniswami said errors had persisted for over two decades. Names of deceased persons and those who shifted residences remained on the rolls, and he cited examples of "hundreds of voters registered at a single address" in Tambaram.
He also addressed the recent concerns raised by BLOs, stating that problems arise only when the government exerts pressure on them.
On the Centre rejecting Tamil Nadu's request to increase the accepted moisture content in paddy from 17% to 22%, he said there was still no official explanation. "Without an official reason, I cannot comment. But the state government failed to protect farmers during expected rains. The Centre must give a formal reply," he said.
Regarding protests over the Textile Park in Salem, Palaniswami said the previous AIADMK government had identified land for acquisition related to a steel plant and secured approval from the Union government. "After the DMK assumed office, they simply did nothing," he said.