Vijay urges PM to fast-track Madurai, Coimbatore Metro funding

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Madurai and Coimbatore Metro rail proposals and expedite funding for transport infrastructure, while stressing that cooperation between the Centre and the State must deliver tangible benefits to people.

Speaking at a function in Chennai where development projects worth Rs 13,000 crore were inaugurated and foundation stones laid, Vijay also sought priority for the proposed Cauvery–Godavari river-linking project. The Chief Minister welcomed PM Modi on behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu and thanked him for inaugurating the Chennai Metro rail project.

He sought early Central funding for Chennai Metro Phase III, the Hosur–Bengaluru Metro link and the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro projects. Vijay also referred to Rs 5,110 crore in funds for Tamil Nadu and called for action on the State’s infrastructure requirements. He urged the Prime Minister to facilitate interstate Metro connectivity, highlighting its importance to future development.

Outlining his government’s economic ambitions, Vijay said Tamil Nadu was working towards becoming a $1.5 trillion economy by 2036. Agriculture and information technology initiatives, alongside investment, innovation and infrastructure development, would help create opportunities and take the State’s growth to the next level, he said.

The government’s approach, he added, was to ensure that development extended beyond Chennai and reached every district.

Describing young people as Tamil Nadu’s greatest strength, Vijay said the government wanted to combine their skills, technological knowledge and innovative thinking with a global outlook. Projects inaugurated and launched at the function should serve as investments for future generations, he said.

The Chief Minister described Tamil Nadu as a State distinguished by its ancient culture, rich history, literature, arts and architecture. Its people continued to preserve a civilisation spanning thousands of years, with Tamil among the world’s oldest languages, he said.

Vijay said his government’s commitment to inclusive development covered education, healthcare, agriculture, fishermen’s welfare and broader economic progress. Welfare programmes were being implemented with the needs of children, women, transgender people, farmers, weavers and other sections of society in mind, he added.

Recalling Tamil Nadu’s contributions to India’s advancement in industry, science, arts and literature, Vijay said cooperation between the Union and State governments should be measured by improvements in people’s lives, with economic growth translating into opportunities and welfare across the State.

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The Hans India