Bhubaneswar metro rail foundation to be laid on Jan 1

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for Bhubaneswar metro rail project on January 1 next year. Naveen also approved its detailed project report (DPR) of over Rs 5,900 crore, which will be borne by the State government.

''The Chief Minister is slated to lay the foundation stone for the project on January 1, 2024,'' an official said. Naveen approved the DPR while reviewing the status of Phase-I of the metro rail project. ''The DPR has been approved at a total cost of Rs 5,929 crore, which will be fully borne by the State government,'' the official said. Work on the project will start soon and the target for completion is 48 months. ''Bhubaneswar Metro is a landmark project for Odisha... It will further strengthen the public transport in the city and enable its economic growth,'' Naveen said. Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation -- a fully owned entity of Odisha government -- has been newly incorporated under the Companies Act, and it has started functioning.

A high-level committee has also been constituted for overseeing the expeditious engagement of an executing agency for the project.

The entire alignment of Metro Rail Project from Trisulia Square to Bhubaneswar airport will be on an elevated structure with 20 stations.

The stations will cover important places like Nandankanan, KIIT Square, Damana Square, Jaydev Vihar, Vani Vihar, Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar railway station, Bapuji Nagar, Sishu Bhawan and Capital Hospital.

Bhubaneswar will join the select group of top cities in the country with a metro rail system. This project will further strengthen the public transport in the city and enable its economic growth. The route has been selected to decongest the main roads and benefit the maximum number of daily commuters.