Advertisement
The Madras High Court has issued notices to the Union Government, the Tamil Nadu Government and Chennai Metro Rail Limited after a petition sought a revised detailed project report (DPR) for the long-pending Madurai Metro project. The petitioner, a first-year law student, argued that the earlier DPR no longer reflects Madurai's expanded urban footprint, rising population and growing institutional hubs such as the High Court Bench, AIIMS Madurai and major healthcare centres. He said the city now meets the population criteria under the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, and that outdated 2011 census data should not determine eligibility. The plea seeks preparation of an updated DPR, with the court asking authorities to respond soon.
The Madras High Court has issued a notice to the Central Government, the Tamil Nadu Government and Chennai Metro Rail Limited after receiving a petition seeking a revised detailed project report for the pending Madurai Metro project. The notice was issued this week after the petitioner highlighted that the earlier DPR no longer reflects the city's present-day conditions. Advertisement
The petition was filed by a first-year law student from Madurai, who pointed out that the city has expanded significantly over nearly two decades. He informed the court that Madurai now hosts several important public institutions, including the Madurai Bench of the High Court, AIIMS Madurai, Government Rajaji Hospital and multiple private healthcare clusters. He also mentioned that the city receives a high inflow of visitors due to landmarks such as the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and the Thirumalai Nayakar Palace. According to him, new IT parks and service-sector facilities have also contributed to a growing urban population.
The petitioner stated that public mobility infrastructure has not kept pace with this growth, and residents from nearby districts depend heavily on Madurai for healthcare, education, employment and air travel. This reliance has caused regular commuting difficulties and traffic bottlenecks across the city. He estimated the city's current population to be around 25 to 30 lakh, using the figure of more than 20 lakh registered voters as a reference, and argued that this is above the 20 lakh threshold required to qualify for a metro system under the Metro Rail Policy, 2017.
He also referred to the way other cities such as Nagpur, Kochi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Kanpur and Agra had received metro approvals despite their 2011 census numbers being lower than the present-day population of Madurai. He said relying solely on the 2011 census to assess Madurai's eligibility would therefore be misleading.
The petitioner conveyed to the court that a metro system would bring quicker and more reliable travel, reduce fuel use and road accidents and support cleaner urban mobility. He emphasised that a revised DPR would help assess the project in line with current realities rather than outdated data.
Based on these submissions, the petition has requested the High Court to instruct the state government to prepare and submit an updated DPR for fresh consideration by the Union Government. The High Court has asked all respondents to present their position on the matter in the coming days.
5th Jun, 2025
25th May, 2023
11th May, 2023
27th Apr, 2023
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
