Overview
- Manohar Lal Khattar dismissed M. K. Stalin’s allegation of politically motivated denial, saying the chief minister has politicised a routine Metro Rail Policy process.
- For Coimbatore, the ministry flagged traffic projections higher than Chennai’s despite a shorter corridor, inadequate right-of-way at seven proposed stations, and ridership estimates drawn from a planning area far larger than city limits.
- In Madurai, Khattar pointed to the city’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan indicating a bus rapid transit system would currently be more viable than a metro.
- Khattar said approvals will remain pending until discrepancies are corrected under the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, noting the Union Cabinet’s 2024 sanction of Chennai Metro Phase-II as evidence of prior support for Tamil Nadu.
- The minister also criticised Tamil Nadu for not participating in the PM-eBus Sewa scheme, as Stalin escalated a political campaign alleging broader obstruction including funding issues, the SIR exercise and delimitation.