Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association has urged Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to expeditiously acquire land for expanding the Madurai airport and to facilitate new rail projects.
In a memorandum, association president S.P. Jeyapragasam said that rail and air connectivity were vital for industrial and economic development of southern Tamil Nadu. The runway of Madurai airport must be extended from 7,500 feet to 12,500 feet to enable operation of big planes. Though the land acquisition exercise had begun, it must be expedited.
While four years had passed since the announcement of doubling of Chennai- Kanyakumari / Tuticorin rail route via Madurai, the project was moving at a snail's pace —a 63-km vital stretch between Chengalpattu and Vickrawandi remained unfinished.
The Chief Minister must press the Centre to allocate adequate funds to complete this project and several others .
