Metro rail work in Bhubaneswar to start by year-end

BHUBANESWAR: Housing and urban development department secretary G Mathi Vathanan on Friday announced that foundation stone for the Metro train project in the city is likely to be in June. He said this after chief minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the performance of his department on Friday.
He said chief minister Naveen Patnaik will lay the foundation stone of this metro train service project. “Chief minister has recently sanctioned the capital region metro rail system project, which will connect Bhubaneswar with Cuttack. It will also connect with Jatni and Khurda and later with Puri,” he added.
Mathi Vathanan said a detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared for connecting Bhubaneswar with Cuttack. “Our consultant Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is conducting the survey for the project. The survey is almost completed,” he added.
He said metro rail construction work will be a huge task including underground sewerage system and civil engineering work. Government will float tender for the construction work. “Based on the DPR, the decision will be taken on routes, alignment and other related works. Master plan will be developed to integrate Bhubaneswar-Cuttack line with Khurda-Jatni line and the Puri line,” she added.
Urban development minister Usha Devi told media here that construction work of the metro rail system for Bhubaneswar capital region is likely to commence before the end of this year.
On Utkal Dibas (Odisha Statehood Day), Naveen had made an announcement about the metro rail project which will be predominantly based on elevated corridors. Though the government has not made the tentative cost of the project public, the first phase of around 30 km (from Trisulia to Biju Patnaik International Airport) would cost around Rs 5,000 crore, government sources estimate.
Official sources said this project will offer world-class, environment friendly urban transport for an emerging and aspirational Odisha. It will also spur economic activities and accelerate expansion of urban city clusters covering Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda. The cluster, considered as the Greater Capital Region, has a population of around 35 lakh people. It will attract people, investments, trade and tourism, said the government statement.