Chennai Metro Gets 5 Times Less Funding Than Bengaluru Metro From Centre

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has received five times less funding than the Bengaluru Metro (BMRCL) since 2018 from the Centre.

As per a report in The New Indian Express, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has received the lowest allocation among metro rail projects across the country from the Centre In the said period as the CMRL has received Rs 3,273.55 crore.

By securing Rs 28,877 crore for metro projects spanning Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune, Maharashtra has received the highest allocation since 2018, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said in response to a question in the Lok Sabha, report stated.

Whereas Bengaluru received Rs 19,236 crore during the corresponding period.

Metro rail initiatives in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, Kanpur, and Agra were granted Rs 12,919 crore, while Gujarat's Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Surat metro projects received an allotment of Rs 15,218 crore, the report noted.

The Tamil Nadu government has written at least seven times, seeking approval for Phase II of the Chennai metro, the RTI query by activist Dayanand Krishnan revealed.

The state government has given its nod for the execution of three metro rail corridors, totalling 118.9 kilometres under Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail Project. In addition to it, the state government has approached the union government, requesting funds in a 50:50 ratio and seeking loan assistance from bilateral/multilateral agencies.

However, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is considering the TN government's proposal. "Once it is approved, the situation will change," the daily quoted a senior CMRL official as saying.

Despite receiving approval from the Public Investment Board two years ago, the Rs 61,843 crore Chennai Metro Rail Phase II project, is still awaiting clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. The state government has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for the project in the state budget.