Biz groups blamed for derailing Kovai metro plan

ALLEGATIONS of lobbying by influential business groups have taken centre stage in the public outcry over the Centre’s decision to return the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Coimbatore metro.

- ARAVIND RAJ @ Coimbatore

Representational pic

What many had hoped would finally push the 14-year demand across the finish line has instead deepened mistrust, with activists claiming that vested interests, not technical flaws, scuttled the project.

Several activists have alleged that business groups, who own prime land along Avinashi Road, a crucial stretch of the proposed metro rail, mounted sustained pressure to stall the project.