Vijay asks Modi to approve metro expansion and release education funds

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay appealed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11 for new metro projects and the release of pending school education funds.

At an event in Chennai, Vijay asked for approval of the city's third metro phase and reconsideration of metro proposals for Coimbatore and Madurai. He also sought an interstate link connecting Hosur in Tamil Nadu with Bommasandra in Karnataka.

Vijay said the state was awaiting 5,110 crore rupees, equivalent to 51.1 billion rupees, under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. ANI reported that he requested the money without additional conditions. His statement represents the state's position and does not mean the funds have already been released.

Other requests concerned linking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers, using Tamil in the Madras High Court, and high-speed transport corridors from Chennai to Coimbatore and Kanyakumari. Modi pledged continued support for Tamil Nadu's development, but the reports did not confirm approval of each project requested.

The appeals came at the launch of infrastructure projects worth 13,000 crore rupees, including a new section of Chennai Metro's second phase. Vijay also set out the state's target of becoming a 1.5 trillion dollar economy by 2036.