Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the detailed project report of Bhubaneswar Metro Rail costing Rs 5,929 crore on Saturday, for which he will lay the foundation on January 1, 2024.
CM Patnaik after reviewing the project said, “Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project is a major landmark project for Odisha. Bhubaneswar will join the select group of cities in the country with a metro rail system. The proposed project will be an elevated corridor linking Bhubaneswar Airport to the old city of Cuttack. The project work will be started soon and is targeted to be completed in 48 months, according to official sources."
The Chief Minister’s office said the state government will bear the entire cost of the metro project for which Rs 210 crore has been provided in the current financial year’s supplementary budget, which was passed in the just concluded session of the state assembly. Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation has been created to execute the project. The first phase of the project covers a distance of 26kms and will have 20 stations between Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport and Trisulia Square adjacent to Cuttack.
The entire alignment of the metro project will be on an elevated structure like most other cities of India and will run on the median/side of the existing roads. Chief Minister, while reviewing the project, directed all agencies to work in close coordination and ensure timely completion of the project. He said, ”This project will further strengthen the public transport in the city and enable the economic growth of the city. The city has been recognized for various urban projects and is emerging as a city with an enhanced quality of life. I am sure this mega project will make Bhubaneswar as a top liveable city in the country."
Secretary to CM V.K.Pandian apprised Patnaik that the route has been selected to decongest the main roads and benefit maximum number of daily commuters. He further added that subsequent phases of the metro project will connect other growth centres in and around Bhubaneswar. From the beginning, the proposal was to connect Bhubaneswar airport to Cuttack in one way and to link Puri on another side where an international airport is proposed.
