Countering a charge by the Union railway ministry that land acquisition for railway projects was slow in Tamil Nadu, the state government blamed the Union government for the delay.

In a letter to the Prime Minister on Sunday, the state’s chief minister said the railway authorities had not sanctioned funds for the acquisition of 931 hectares out of 2,500 hectares for which administrative approval had already been granted to implement various railway projects.

Timely payment of compensation to landowners is an essential prerequisite for completing the land acquisition process, the state government said. For an extent of 296 hectares meant for two projects, it added that the revised land plan schedule (LPS) was received only recently from the railway authorities. Administrative approval for land acquisition for these two projects would be issued shortly.

The state government stated that 94% of land acquisition had been completed for 19 major ongoing railway projects. Out of 1,273 hectares required for these projects, acquisition was completed for 1,198 hectares, which had already been handed over to the railways.

The chief minister urged the Prime Minister to ensure that required funds for sanctioned projects are released without delay and to reconsider and restart important projects that have been kept in abeyance by the railway ministry. These include the Tuticorin–Madurai road gauge line and the Tindivanam–Tiruvannamalai broad gauge line projects.

The state government also requested consideration for sanctioning additional new railway projects commensurate with Tamil Nadu’s economic stature and development needs.

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