<span style="color: #222222;">Home Minister Amit Shah has said the Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic resolutely and very effectively.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He launched works on various infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu worth nearly 68-thousand crore rupees at a function in Chennai last evening.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">They include works on the 118 kilometre long Second Phase of the Metro Rail Services in Chennai.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The 61,843- crore rupees project is aimed at linking many hub centres of the city with modern transport connectivity.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In his address, Mr Shah lauded the track record of Tamil Nadu in handling the pandemic situation saying it tops among all states by reaching a recovery rate of about 97 percent.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Home Minister said the BJP is uprooting dynasty politics in various states in the elections, and expressed hope that it will be repeated in Tamil Nadu as well.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">His remarks come in the backdrop of the state going for the Assembly General Elections in about six months.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He questioned the Congress and the DMK what moral standing they have to talk of corruption as issues like 2G arose during the UPA rule. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The state chief minister and AIADMK Co-Coordinator Edappadi Palaniswamy and the Deputy Chief Minister and the ruling party coordinator O. Panneerselvam announced in the function that their alliance with the BJP will continue for the Assembly Elections as well.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr Palaniswamy also submitted a memorandum to the minister seeking the Centre's early approval for a host of river linking projects and other development works.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">AIR correspondent reports, the second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail works will be a game changer in the commuting experience for the people in the metropolis.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">It is one of the longest ever metro projects in the country, covering about 118.9 km in a single phase. It has three important corridors.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The first one will be a 45.8 km long route from Madhavaram to the SIPCOT, an IT hub, with 20 elevated and 30 underground stations.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The second corridor under Phase-2 will be a 26-km long track from Poonamallee Bypass to Light House in the Marina Beach, covering traditional business hubs with 18 elevated and 12 underground stations.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The third corridor will be from Madhavaram and Sholinganallur, with 42 elevated and 6 underground stations treading a 47-km long route.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The works are expected to be completed by 2026, and the funding has been finalized with several multilateral financial institutions.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The new metro lines will serve to augment the ease of living in the city phenomenally.</span><br />''