MADURAI: There has been no progress in the Madurai-Thoothukudi BG line project for the past year, with an RTI response revealing the state government disbanded the land acquisition office; a railway union representative has now urged CM MK Stalin to appoint an IAS officer to oversee state railway projects.
Sources said the Madurai-Thoothukudi via Arupukottai BG line work was announced in the financial year 2011-12, for a length of 143.5 km. The 18 km Meelavittan-Melmarudur stretch was completed and authorised by the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) on March 8, 2022. The land acquisition for the remaining stretch from Melmarudur to Tiruparankundram (Madurai) was still underway. In February 2023, a G.O. was passed for land acquisition. However, for nearly one year there has been no progress in the project.
Meanwhile, railway enthusiast Dayanand Krishnan sought information from the Public Information Officer and Assistant Commissioner for Land Administration, Chennai regarding the land acquisition. This petition was forwarded to Special Tahsildar, Thiruparankundram taluk, who said the implementation of the scheme is not finalised and the office set up for the land acquisition would be disbanded from January 1, 2025.
Dayanand told TNIE that the Railway Public Information Officer in his reply in October, 2024 had told that the project is under review and that the state government had disbanded the office.
"According to a recent RTI reply from the Railway Public Information Office, several railway projects announced by the Railway Board have been kept in abeyance. These include the Tindivanan-Gingee-Thiruvannamalai, Chennai-Cuddalore (via Mahabalipuram), and Avadi-Sriperumbudur-Guduvanchery projects. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the Railway Board may also put the Madurai-Thoothukudi new BG line work on hold," he added.
On request of anonymity, an official from Southern Railways said, "The state government has done all clerical work for the land acquisition including survey and compensation. However, the railways did not release funds to the state for executing the project, including for advertising for land acquisition and compensation to be paid to land owners. If funds come from the railways, work will begin automatically," he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Dakshin Railway Employees Union Zonal joint secretary R Sankara Narayanan said, "The central government is giving step-motherly treatment to Tamil Nadu and this must change. The union government allotted Rs.100 crore for this project in the budget in 2023-24, but reduced it to Rs.18.72 crores in the 2024-25 budget," he said.
The Kerala government has a separate state minister to looking into affairs related to the railways, and TN must follow suit, he added.