Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday said it was her government which sowed the seeds for the Chennai Metro Rail and dismissed claims of arch rival DMK that it had initiated the project.

Referring to DMK’s allegations of delay in execution of the Metro Project, Ms. Jayalalithaa said only three per cent of the work was completed during 2007-11 by the DMK regime.

“Between 2007 and 2011, during the DMK regime, only three per cent of work was done. In the past four years, 73 per cent of the work was completed in my government and service between Alandur and Koyambedu is launched,” she said in a statement in Chennai on Thursday.

The feasibility study for the Metro Project was done only in 2003 in the AIADMK regime, she said.

“It is a pure lie to say that the plan was devised and executed expeditiously during the DMK regime,” she said.

Though DMK was an ally of the Congress, it could get the Centre’s nod for the project only in 2009, she added.

Also, it was only on February 15, 2011 during the fag end of the DMK tenure that a MoU was inked among the Centre, State and Chennai Metro Rail, she said.

While DMK spent only Rs. 1,143 crore for the project during its regime, Rs. 9,229 had been spent till date by the AIADMK government since it assumed power in 2011, the Chief Minister said.

“People will easily understand that it is the AIADMK regime which sowed the seeds for Metro Rail Project,” she said adding, the DMK leaders, M. Karunanidhi and Stalin, were “confusing” people to gain political mileage.

She also said that all corridors of the Metro network would be operational by the end of 2016.

Services between Airport and Little Mount and from Alandur to St Thomas Mount will be inaugurated by March next year, she said.

Similarly, services from Koyambedu to Nehru Park would be operational by June next year, she added.

Going deep into the MoU and citing several clauses in it which was signed during the DMK regime in 2011 with the Centre and Metro Rail for the project, Ms. Jayalalithaa said it was “against the interests of Tamil Nadu, its people and an one-sided agreement.”

Though the pact stipulated that Tamil Nadu should waive its taxes on Metro Rail, it however, said that taxes for the Centre should be paid.

“Karunanidhi should explain as to why he signed a MoU which is against State’s autonomy and people of Tamil Nadu,” she said.

On demands from the DMK chief for a cut in Metro train fare, she said, “the train fare for Chennai Metro Rail is not fixed by Tamil Nadu government, it is done by CMRL (Chennai Metro Rail Limited).”

According to the MoU, CMRL will determine the fare for the first time, after which it would be done by an autonomous transport authority.

“It is Mr. Karunanidhi who gave the nod for the Tamil Nadu government to sign in the MoU. He does not have any locus standi to talk on Metro rail fare,” she said.

As per the MoU, an autonomous transport authority will determine the fare for not only the Metro Train, but also for the State-run city buses and the body could revise the fare based on expenditure, she said.

On comparison of Metro train fares with those in other cities, she said the fare here was structured on the lines of Mumbai Metro.

“I also would like to inform Mr. Karunanidhi that Delhi Metro is also planning to increase its fare soon,” she said.

Also, due to factors including delay in project execution during the DMK regime, the current estimated cost of Metro Rail is Rs. 20,000 crore, she added.