A political firestorm erupted in Tamil Nadu after reports claimed the Union Government had “rejected” the metro rail proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai. In what seems like it was spearheaded by Chief Minister MK Stalin and amplified by a coordinated media and social media blitz, the narrative became clear: the BJP-led Centre was “punishing” Tamil Nadu for its democratic choice and “denying” development to its cities.
‘கோயில் நகர்’ மதுரைக்கும், ‘தென்னிந்திய மான்செஸ்டர்’ கோவைக்கும் “NO METRO” என நிராகரித்துள்ளது ஒன்றிய பா.ஜ.க. அரசு!
அனைவருக்கும் பொதுவானதாகச் செயல்படுவதுதான் அரசுக்கான இலக்கணம். அதற்கு மாறாக, பா.ஜ.க.வைத் தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்கள் நிராகரிப்பதற்காக இப்படி பழிவாங்குவது கீழ்மையான போக்கு.… pic.twitter.com/PEoQKCBMRY
— M.K.Stalin – தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) November 19, 2025
While the DMK Government willfully spread an excerpt and not the entire letter, here is the full letter written by the MOHUA that exposes how the DMK Government deliberately submitted a faulty DPR to get it rejected.
People of Coimbatore & Madurai deserve the fastest mode of… pic.twitter.com/27ZC00khbL
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) November 19, 2025
The Genesis Of The Disinformation Campaign
The sequence of events paints a picture of a pre-meditated political operation. The Central Government returned the metro approval applications for Coimbatore and Madurai, seeking further clarifications on specific, technical grounds. Within hours, mainstream media outlets citing unnamed “sources,” erroneously reported the projects as being “rejected.” This was immediately picked up by Dravidianist mouthpieces in the state – channels like Sun TV, which ran multiple infographics amplifying the false narrative.
Almost instantaneously, the DMK’s IT wing and its vast social media ecosystem of Dravidianists launched a full-scale anti-Centre propaganda campaign, with hashtags and posts accusing the BJP of being “anti-Tamil” and withholding Tamil Nadu’s tax money.
Crucially, this campaign was launched before the competent authority, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), could issue a clarification, which it did 90 minutes later. By then, the false narrative had already been cemented in the public discourse.
Deconstructing The Flawed DPR: The Centre’s Valid Queries
The central government’s letter highlights several critical flaws in the Coimbatore Metro DPR that make the project, as currently proposed, unviable.
#1 The Ridership Mirage: 6 Lakh Riders In Coimbatore?
The Claim: The TN government’s DPR projects a daily ridership of 6 lakh (600,000) passengers for the Coimbatore Metro.
The Reality Check: The Greater Chennai region, with a population of nearly 1 crore (10 million) people, has a current daily metro ridership of only 4 lakh (400,000) passengers after years of operation.
The Question: How can Coimbatore, with an estimated population of 20-25 lakh (2-2.5 million), possibly generate a daily ridership 50% higher than that of Chennai? The Centre has rightly questioned the methodology behind this inflated projection, which appears designed to artificially boost the project’s benefit-cost ratio.
#2 The “Right of Way” Roadblock: A Physically Impossible Plan
This is the most damning technical failure of the DPR. For an elevated metro, a minimum Right of Way (RoW) of 20-22 meters is essential for the construction of pillars and ensuring public safety.
The Shocking Revelation: The DPR submitted by the TN government proposes routes where, for 79% of the alignment, the RoW is less than the mandatory 20 meters.
Specific Examples: The central government’s letter points to specific corridors where construction is physically implausible:
- On the Old Post Office Road (Coimbatore Junction to Ramakrishna Mills), the RoW is a mere 7 meters.
- On Nawab Hakim Road, the RoW is between 10-12 meters.
- On Big Bazaar Street and Oppanakara Street, the RoW varies from 12 to 22 meters.
The Implication: The state government has proposed a metro line through streets that are too narrow to build it. The Centre has essentially asked, “How do you plan to construct an elevated metro in a space where there is physically no room for it?”
#3 The Unrealistic Timeline: A Three-Year Fantasy
The Claim: The TN government claims it will complete the entire 34 km Coimbatore Metro project in just three years.
The Reality: Given that 79% of the route requires massive land acquisition from private and public entities, the process of acquisition alone would likely take longer than three years. The ongoing delays in land acquisition for projects like the Parandur Airport stand as a testament to this reality. The Centre has flagged this timeline as wholly unrealistic.
Did Central Government reject Coimbatore and Madurai Metro? Lies of DMK exposed.
கோவை மற்றும் மதுரை மெட்ரோ ரயில் திட்டத்தை மத்திய அரசு நிராகரித்தது எனப் பொய் சொல்லும் தி.மு.க. உண்மை என்ன?#DMKFails #Metro pic.twitter.com/Ov3TGGRQbc
— Dr.SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) November 19, 2025
Countering the DMK’s Political Narrative
Let’s bust the lies one by one.
Lie #1: “Centre rejected metros because of low population.”
Truth: The population criterion was one of several points in a three-page letter dominated by more serious technical flaws. The primary reasons for returning the DPR were the inflated ridership figures and the unfeasible RoW.
Lie #2: “This is discrimination against non-BJP states.”
Truth: This is a standard procedure applied to all states, regardless of the ruling party. The Agra Metro project in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh was initially returned by the Centre in 2017 citing similar population concerns. The UP government revised and resubmitted the DPR, which was subsequently approved in 2019. Similarly, the Bengaluru Metro’s Phase 3A is currently under cost reassessment by the same Union Ministry. This is not discrimination; it is due diligence.
Lie #3: “The Centre is cheating Tamil Nadu.”
Truth: The Centre is asking legitimate questions to safeguard public funds. Approving a project with a wildly inflated ridership projection and an unbuildable route would be a colossal waste of taxpayer money. By demanding a realistic DPR, the Centre is acting as a responsible auditor, ensuring that the people of Coimbatore eventually get a metro that is practically feasible and financially viable.
A Failure Of Governance, Not A Conspiracy
The entire episode exposes a troubling lack of professionalism within the Tamil Nadu administration. Instead of preparing a thorough and realistic project report, the DMK government submitted a shoddy DPR that failed basic technical scrutiny. When caught out, their response was not to acknowledge the lapses and commit to revisions, but to launch a blistering disinformation campaign to hide their own incompetence and blame the Centre.
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