Sriperumbudur line has been dropped by Rly board, says Baalu

Making the claim during the question hour while raising a supplementary, he said the name of the Prime Minister was being tarnished in the wake of reports that the project was being shelved.

Baalu, who represents Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, said the Railway line has tremendous potential because it would connect various religious places including the birth place of Sri Ramanujar.  The line could also link areas with a lot of industrial activity like car manufacturing plants in Oragadam.

Responding to Baalu, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said the land acquisition for the project has gone through the required judicial process. In a lighter vein, he said he was delighted that Baalu was talking about linking religious places and places of religious identity.  “The government was committed to linking places of religious identity of all denomination,” he added. Goyal also said it was interesting that Baalu projected a Rate of Return on Investment (IRR) of 16.5 per cent for the project and said the Railways would be happy to implement such a project if it was feasible.

Meanwhile, a DMK member said the Minister’s reply  smacked of “arrogance”. Goyal rebutted the charge and said he was being sincere when he talked about the IRR on the Railways.

Meanwhile, DMK MPs on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and handed over a memorandum seeking constitutional amendment giving more powers to States, exemption to Tamil Nadu from NEET and other issues.