It seems that the Odisha government is keen on starting the much-awaited metro railway project in the state at the earliest. Housing and Urban Development Minister, Usha Devi on Friday informed that already the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been roped in as consultant to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the metro railway project.
“Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned the Metro Railway project for the Bhubaneswar capital region. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is preparing the DPR. The work for the project is likely to start before 2023 end,” said Devi.
G Mathi Vathanan, Urban Development Department secretary said, “CM has approved the metro rail project for Bhubaneswar capital region which will also include Cuttack and connect with Jatni-Khordha and later Puri.”
According to Vathanan, the DPR is being prepared for connecting Bhubaneswar with Cuttack. The survey is almost completed and the foundation is likely to be laid by CM Naveen Patnaik in June.
As per official sources, a ‘master plan’ is also being prepared for the metro rail project network covering areas of Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Cuttack, and Puri. In the first phase, the DPR will be prepared for the route from Biju Patnaik International Airport to Trishulia.
The metro rail project will cover areas like Master Canteen, Vani Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Patia, Raghunathpur, Nandankanan to Trishulia, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Odisha CM approved the metro rail project for Bhubaneswar on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa, the statehood day of Odisha.