Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin travelled in a metro train from Chennai Central to AG-DMS and interacted with commuters on Friday.
Spotting the CM, several commuters reached out to him and took selfies. CM Stalin sought their feedback on the DMK government's welfare programmes.
During the travel, women commuters appreciated the DMK and CM Stalin for launching the monthly grant for higher education. They also expressed that the promise of providing the Rs 8,000 coupon for homemakers if DMK is voted to power is a 'good one'.
"We are continuing the good welfare initiatives of our leaders: C. N. Annadurai and M Karunanidhi," Stalin said.
He was accompanied by DMK's Thousand Lights candidate N Ezhilan, who is seeking re-election from the same constituency.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister asserted that his journey was 'soaked in the love of the people'. He also mentioned that he carried the memories of the days when the Metro Rail project was developed.
"When I was the Deputy Chief Minister, I went to Japan and received financial assistance from JICA, and took the lead in the project. So far, crores of people have made journeys in the first phase of the project, running from Wimco Nagar to the airport and from Central to St Thomas Mount. We will soon hand over the second phase of the project between Madhavaram - Siruseri, Light House - Poonamallee, and Madhavaram - Sholinganallur, which is being carried out at a rapid pace," he expressed.
The phase II route, as noted by the Chief Minister, covers a total distance of 116.1 km and has been approved by the TN government at an approximate cost of Rs 69,180 crore.
Significantly, the cost was later revised to Rs 61,843 by reducing the station size.
In the post, "When the Metro expansion works are completed, such as Airport - Kilambakkam, Koyambedu - Pattabiram, Poonamallee - Sunguvarchatram, Tambaram - Guindy, Lighthouse - High Court, and Siruseri, Chennai will be one of the cities in India with the longest distance connected by the Metro," Stalin added.
"May our dream of developing Chennai win," he said.
With inputs from PTI