Madurai-Thoothukudi railway line shelved as per TN's wish: Vaishnaw

IN a surprising development, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the construction of 143.5-km-long broad gauge (BG) railway line from Madurai to Thoothukudi via Aruppukottai, at a cost of ₹2,054 crore, has been shelved as the Tamil Nadu government did not want the project.

- B ANBUSELVAN

To a specific question from TNIE on whether the project has been dropped, the minister, who was visiting the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, said, "The Tamil Nadu government has informed us in writing that it does not want the project."

The minister, however, did not elaborate on why the state did not want the project.

The minister was asked the question by pointing to the state government disbanding the land acquisition (LA) unit in Madurai, set up specifically for acquiring land for the project, from January 1. Revenue officials assigned to the unit have also been transferred out. While the railways funds the entire project, including compensation paid for land acquisition, it is the responsibility of the state government to acquire the land and hand it over to the railways.