Light Metro Rail in Gorakhpur by 2024

LUCKNOW: By 2024, Gorakhpur is expected to get a light Metro Rail system. To be built at a cost of Rs 4,672 crore, the project will consist of two elevated lines.
The cabinet on Friday gave its approval to the detailed project report for a Light Rail Transit system in Gorakhpur. The project will cover a total distance of 27.8 km through two elevated corridors. As per the report, 14 stations are proposed between Shyam Nagar and Madan Mohan Malviya Technical University, a distance of 15.1 km. On the other line, 13 stations are proposed between BRD Medical College and Nausarh Chauraha, a distance of 12.7 km.

A government spokesperson said that three cities in UP have Metro Rail services, including Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Noida. Besides, a Regional Rapid Transit System is being constructed to link Delhi and Meerut. The government has allocated Rs 900 crore for this project under the 2020-21 budget. Another Rs 286 crore has been allotted for the Agra Metro Rail project while Rs 358 crore has been approved for the Kanpur Metro project.
The cabinet also approved a proposal under which government guarantee will be provided for credit that will be provided by UP and district cooperative banks to sugar mills for the 2020-21 crushing season. In 2019-20, a government guarantee was given for credit of Rs 3,221.63 crore and a fee of Rs 8.05 crore was waived off on it. For the upcoming season, it is proposed to provide guarantee for credit of Rs 3,650 crore to 24 cooperative sugar mills.
Considering the poor financial condition of cooperative sugar mills, it was also decided to waive the guarantee fee of Rs 9,12,50.
An amendment was also approved in the Excise Policy of 2020-21 to promote ease of doing business. As per this, matters which are disposed of at the level of excise commissioner or the government, changes and additions to be made to distilleries can now be dealt with additional commissioner of the related department. Meanwhile, a committee headed by the additional chief secretary or principal secretary of the excise department can grant clearance for increase of capacity to distilleries manufacturing industrial alcohol and liquor.
The old Gorakhpur collectorate building will soon be demolished and replaced by a new building. The existing building of the Gorakhpur collectorate had been constructed in 1903 and 1910 and is now in a dilapidated condition. After demolition, the sale proceeds of the scraps will be adjusted while the expenditure of the demolition will be written off, as decided by the state cabinet.
A decision was also taken to strengthen the Tarighat Bara Kumhar Chaisa crossing in Ghazipur and to provide paved shoulders of 1.5 m width on both sides of the road.