CHENNAI: After Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw repeatedly alleged that railway projects in Tamil Nadu were being delayed due to the state government’s lack of cooperation in land acquisition, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the centre to release the required funds in full and on a priority basis to ensure smooth land acquisition and timely payment of compensation.
In his letter, the CM pointed out that the Railways had not sanctioned funds for acquiring 931.52 hectares out of the total 2,500.61 hectares required for various railway projects in the state, despite administrative approval having already been accorded.
It may be recalled that Vaishnaw had informed Parliament and reiterated during press interactions that railway projects in TN were facing delays due to inadequate support from the state government in the land acquisition process.
Stalin further stated that administrative sanction for land acquisition related to two projects – covering 296.02 hectares of private land – for which revised Land Plan Schedules (LPS) were recently received from the Railways, is currently under process and will be issued shortly. “Of the remaining 1,273.05 hectares pertaining to 19 major ongoing railway projects, land acquisition has already been completed for 1,198.02 hectares (94%), and the land has been handed over to the Railways,” he said.
He added that land acquisition has been completed for projects such as Tindivanam-Nagari, Madurai-Thoothukudi via Aruppukottai (Phase I), Nagercoil-Eraniel double line, Mannargudi-Needamangalam, and the Chennai Beach-Korukkupet third and fourth lines.
The CM flagged delays in the release of funds by the Ministry of Railways, noting that funds are often released in a piecemeal manner for individual projects, severely hampering progress. This, he said, has caused disruptions, prolonged uncertainty for affected landowners, and delays in project execution.
He highlighted that `289.78 crore is yet to be released for acquiring 16.86 hectares of land for the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanniyakumari section – a major project in TN that is also being monitored through the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti (PMG) Portal. “A lump sum and timely allocation of funds for land acquisition, instead of staggered releases, would enable uninterrupted and faster completion of these critical projects,” the CM said.
Stalin also urged the PM to revive the Thoothukudi-Madurai (via Aruppukottai) and Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai new line projects, which are currently in abeyance. He further requested the sanctioning of additional new railway projects in line with TN’s economic stature and developmental requirements.