Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to the Prime Minister seeking full and priority release of funds to ensure smooth land acquisition and timely payment of compensation for railway projects in Tamil Nadu. The appeal followed public comments by the Union Railways Minister that delays were caused by inadequate state cooperation in land matters. The chief minister requested that allocations be made in lump sums to avoid piecemeal funding. He noted that the Railways had not sanctioned funds for acquiring 931.52 hectares out of a total of 2,500.61 hectares required for various projects despite administrative approval. Administrative sanction for two projects covering 296.02 hectares of private land is now under process following receipt of revised land plan schedules. Of the remaining 1,273.05 hectares pertaining to 19 major ongoing projects, land acquisition has been completed for 1,198.02 hectares, which have been handed over to the Railways and represent 94 per cent of that tranche. Land acquisition has been completed for schemes including Tindivanam-Nagari, Madurai-Thoothukudi via Aruppukottai Phase I, Nagercoil-Eraniel double line, Mannargudi-Needamangalam and the Chennai Beach-Korukkupet third and fourth lines. The chief minister flagged that funds released by the Ministry of Railways are often disbursed in a piecemeal manner for individual projects, which he said severely hampers progress. He argued that staggered releases have caused disruptions, prolonged uncertainty for affected landowners and delays in project execution. The letter highlighted that Rs 2.898 bn remains to be released for acquiring 16.86 hectares for the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanniyakumari section, a major scheme monitored through the Prime Minister's Gati Shakti Portal (PMG). The chief minister urged a lump sum and timely allocation for land acquisition to enable uninterrupted and faster completion of critical works. He also sought revival of the Thoothukudi-Madurai via Aruppukottai and Tindivanam-Tiruvannamalai new line projects and requested sanctioning of additional projects in line with Tamil Nadu's economic stature and developmental requirements.