Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will lay the foundation stone for the long-awaited Rs. 1,334-crore Hogenakkal Water Supply Project in Dharmapuri on February 26, Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin said on Monday. On his arrival at the Chennai airport after a week-long tour of Japan to seek assistance from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), Mr. Stalin told reporters that the first proposals were made when Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power in 1997, but the scheme could not go ahead due to change of power in 2001. It was revived when the DMK came back to power in 2006. The JBIC was expected to fund about 85 per cent of the project, around Rs. 1,141 crore at 1.2 per cent interest. 20-year-old dream The project, Mr. Stalin said, was the realisation of a 20-year-long dream of people in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. A total of 30 lakh people in three municipalities, 17 town panchayats and 1,755 village panchayats of the two districts would be benefited. Metro rail project The delegation from Tamil Nadu, including senior officials, had a look at the working of metro rail in Tokyo. The JBIC, Mr. Stalin said, had also assured financial assistance for the Rs. 9,700-crore Chennai metro rail project. "The Chief Minister has already announced in the Assembly that the State government would go ahead with the project even if Japan's aid was not received,' he said about the proposed 46.5-km-long project. The JBIC's assistance was also expected to provide Rs. 300 crore for the Rs. 344-crore water supply improvement project for Tiruchi and a meeting on this would be held soon in New Delhi. Many schemes with funding from the JBIC and the World Bank were executed throughout Tamil Nadu, including underground drainage schemes in Chidambaram, Ambur, Pernambut, Pattukottai and Rameswaram among other towns. Flights missed Several passengers to the Kamaraj domestic terminal at the airport were put to hardship on Monday, when DMK cadres gathered in large numbers to receive Mr. Stalin. Airport sources said the party cadres started arriving at the airport at 9 a.m. A senior airport official said due to the crowd some passengers missed their flight as they were not able to reach the entrance of the departure area. Another officer said a dais was erected at the car parking area opposite the international arrival area, a clear violation. Normally, a dais is erected on the playground opposite the airport when a reception is accorded to political party leaders, the officer added. Mr. Stalin was received by Ministers K. Ponmudy, T.M.Anbarasan and N.Suresh Rajan. The Kancheepuram district unit of the party had organised a massive reception and several hundred party cadre had assembled.