Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the pre-budget consultations with Finance Ministers of States and Union Territories (with Legislature) at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on Friday.  During this meeting, Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thangam Thenarasu appealed Union Government to give its approval for metro rail scheme in Coimbatore, and also for Madurai.

The DPR for Coimbatore Metro Rail Project which was submitted to the Union Government by the Tamil Nadu Government was sent back to the latter by the Centre as it did not have the 2 necessary documents - comprehensive mobility plan and alternative analysis report.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) included those documents and submitted the DPRs to TN Government; and the same was forwarded to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on December 5th. This was confirmed by various sources on December 13th. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khatta confirmed that approval will be granted shortly.

The minister reportedly said that the Union Government will examine the DPR and the documents thoroughly, and will allocate the funds for the project in the upcoming parliamentary budget. On Friday in another occasion, CMRL's Director of Projects, T.Archunan said that the process for Coimbatore and Madurai metro projects have picked up pace.

With such positive words from Union Minister and CMRL’s Director, the city is hopeful that the funds will be allotted during the 2025 Union Budget that is expected to be presented on Feb 1^st.