Expedite approval for Phase-II of Chennai Metro: Stalin to PM

Chennai: The Centre's non-approval of the Phase-II project of Chennai Metro, which aims to incorporate another 119 km of the city into the metro network with three corridors, has slowed down the work, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Saturday, adding that the state government was covering the expenditure from its own funds.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Stalin urged him to promptly approve the project, which is slated to be executed at a cost of Rs 63,246 crores, so that the corridors can be opened for public use by the end of 2026 as scheduled.

Tamil Nadu wants the project to be approved under the 50:50 joint venture model, like Phase-I.

The three corridors currently under construction are Madhavaram to SIPCOT (45.8 km), Lighthouse to Poonamallee bypass (26.1 km), and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (47 km). Upon completion of Phase-II, Chennai will boast five metro corridors covering approximately 200 kms.

Stalin told Modi that there was an “inordinate delay” in the approval for the Phase-II of the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) project - which was sent to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for approval in 2019.

With the recommendation of MoHUA and NITI Aayog, the funding approvals from JICA, ADB, AIIB and NDB were also tied up and the foundation stone for the project was laid by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in November 2020.

“Our Government was eagerly awaiting the approval by the Union Government after the announcement for counter-part funding for the project was made in the Union Budget for 2021-2022 and upon the project being recommended by the Public Investment Board (PIB) on 17-08-2021 as a Central Sector Project under equity sharing model,” Stalin said.

However, Stalin said, there has not been any progress since, despite the issue being brought to the Prime Minister’s attention during meetings between the two.

“I learn that the above proposal is awaiting the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for more than two years now,” he said, adding that in anticipation of the Union Government's approval, the state has commenced the works for Phase-II to ensure that the project is completed as per the timeline.

“We have been meeting the expenditure from state funds, due to the Union share being held up in the absence of CCEA approval. This has slowed down the pace of works and has also placed severe stress on state finances. This issue needs to be addressed immediately so that this dream project of the people of Chennai can be implemented within the targeted time,” Stalin added.