CM Stalin Counters Railway Minister, Blames Centre for Land Acquisition Delays
In a sharp rebuttal to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav's allegations of slow land acquisition for railway projects in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin has squarely placed the blame on the Union government for the delays. The chief minister detailed the issues in a formal letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
Funding Shortfalls and Administrative Hurdles
Stalin highlighted a critical funding gap, stating that the Railways has failed to sanction funds for acquiring 931 hectares out of a total 2,500 hectares that had already received administrative sanction for various projects. "Timely payment of compensation to landowners is an essential prerequisite for completing the land acquisition process," Stalin emphasized, pointing to this as a major bottleneck.
Furthermore, for two specific projects requiring 296 hectares, the revised Land Plan Schedule (LPS) was only received from the railways very recently. Administrative sanction for land acquisition for these projects will be issued shortly, according to the chief minister.
Progress Amidst Challenges
Despite these obstacles, Stalin reported significant progress, noting that 94% of land acquisition has been completed for 19 major ongoing railway projects in the state. Out of 1,273 hectares pertaining to these projects, acquisition works were finalized for 1,198 hectares (94%), and the land has already been handed over to the railways.
However, the railways has not yet furnished the LPS for five other projects, adding to the administrative delays.
Urgent Appeals to the Prime Minister
In his letter, Stalin made several urgent appeals to Prime Minister Modi:
- Ensure that required funds for sanctioned projects are allocated without delay.
- Reconsider and restart important projects that have been kept in abeyance by the Railways. These include the Tuticorin-Madurai (via Aruppukottai) road gauge line and the Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai broad gauge line project. Administrative sanctions for acquiring 931.52 hectares for these projects have already been issued.
- Consider sanctioning additional new railway projects that match Tamil Nadu's economic stature and developmental needs.
This exchange underscores the ongoing tensions between the state and central governments over infrastructure development, with land acquisition remaining a pivotal and contentious issue in advancing railway projects in Tamil Nadu.
