CPM condemned union govt for denying funds for Chennai Metro phase 2
In a statement, Balakrishnan said that it is shocking that the Union Minister has said that not a single penny can be allocated for the implementation of the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail Project.
CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan
CHENNAI: CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan on Friday condemned the union government for not paying heed to the state government’s demand over funds for second phase of the Chennai Metro project.
Responding to a query by DMK’s Chennai Central MP Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister of State of Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu told the Parliament that the Tamil Nadu government will bear the cost for the project. “As a result, in 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Centre has not disbursed any funds for the project,” Sahu said.
In a statement, Balakrishnan said that it is shocking that the Union Minister has said that not a single penny can be allocated for the implementation of the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail Project. “We strongly condemn this deceitful act to destroy the development plans of Tamil Nadu and the intention to take revenge on the people who defeated them in the elections,” he said.
Pointing to the fund allocation to various metro rail projects in the country, he said that the denial of funds to the Chennai Metro Rail is a vindictive one when the union government provided Rs 11,000 crore for Delhi Metro, Rs 16,000 crore for Bengaluru Metro and Rs 12,500 for the third phase of Mumbai Metro. “It is unfair that the entire burden of executing the Rs 63,246 crore metro rail project is placed on the state government. A move to undermine federalism,” he noted.
“As the state government bears the entire burden of the metro rail project, the state government will have to take loans and bear interest for it. If the loan and interest are too high, other projects of the budget will be affected? Is that what the Union government wants?” he wondered.
