Metros for Coimbatore & Madurai: Clash Over Approval
The Coimbatore and Madurai metro rail projects have been returned to the Tamil Nadu government by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for revisions, triggering a sharp exchange between the Centre and the state. The union ministry cited non-compliance with the Metro Rail Policy 2017 — including urban agglomeration population criteria and technical discrepancies in the detailed project reports (DPRs) — as reasons for refusal.
Political Charges Fly
M. K. Stalin (Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of bias, saying the return of proposals amounted to “revenge politics” and a distortion of federal principles. He highlighted that other smaller Tier-II cities had received metro approvals despite lower populations. In response, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar rejected the accusations as politicisation, pointing out that the metro proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai had technical flaws and failed to meet prescribed norms.
What the MoHUA Flagged
According to the Centre, the Coimbatore proposal’s ridership and modal shift projections were “unjustifiable”, and certain right-of-way constraints existed around station locations. In Madurai’s case, officials noted that the city’s mobility study suggested that a Bus Rapid Transit system might be more suitable at current ridership levels and that the DPR did not sufficiently demonstrate the need for a metro system now.
What Happens Next
The state government has reiterated its intent to resubmit the DPRs after addressing the noted gaps. Protests have been announced in both cities to press the Centre for approval. Meanwhile, political analysts see this dispute as a sign of growing friction between the state government and the Centre ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
