Work on Patna metro rail to start soon: CM Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said works on metro rail project in Patna would be taken up soon as the state government will submit a corresponding detailed project report (DPR) to union ministry of housing and urban affairs within next four months.

Nitish, while inaugurating the newly- built station road flyover on Tuesday evening, said Union minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh has assured that the DPR for Patna metro rail would be cleared in minimal time. Vehicular movement on the new flyover will commence from Wednesday.

"The central government has recently changed its policy for development of metro rail networks in the country. Accordingly, we were required to change the DPR for Patna metro rail. State urban development department is finalising the changes in the DPR and we intend to submit within next three to four months. Union urban minister Puri had come to Patna to participate in the Shukrana Samaroh (thanks- giving or concluding ceremony of 350th birth anniversary of tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh) and he has assured me that the DPR for Patna metro rail would be approved in minimal time," Nitish said.

The preliminary DPR for proposed metro rail in Patna entailing an estimated outlay of Rs. 16960crs was given an in- principal approval by CM Nitish Kumar on December 22, last year, followed by an approval by the state cabinet on February 9, this year.

Meanwhile, the new metro policy of the Centre was given a nod by the central cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi in its meeting held on August 16. According to sources, the new metro policy envisages three funding options -first, public-private partnership (PPP) model with central assistance under the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme of the finance ministry, second, central government grant under which 10% of the project cost will be given as central aid in a lump sum; and third, a 50:50 equity sharing model between the Central and State governments.

Sources claimed that the Bihar government will opt for a funding pattern based on contribution from Centre and state along with external financial aid. Decisions to this effect were taken in the review meeting of urban development department headed by CM Nitish on August 31.

The metro rail proposal talks about two corridors in the first phase covering a total distance of 31km. The first corridor would be an east- west corridor, which would run from Mithapur Bus Stand to Saguna Mor via Bailey Road and Patna Junction, covering a distance of 14.5kms. The second corridor on the other hand, is a north- south corridor, which would run from Patna Junction to proposed bus stand at Bairiya on Patna- Gaya Road via Ashok Rajpath, Gandhi Maidan and Rajendra Nagar Terminal, covering a total distance of 16.5kms.