Bhubaneswar, Jan 1 (FN Representative) As promised Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday laid the foundation for the first phase of Bhubaneswar metro rail project. Addressing the occasion at Ratangad in Barag on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar city,Patnaik said the day will be remembered as a special day in the history of development in Odisha. He said the first phase of the Bhubaneswar Metro rail project will connect the 26 kms long Bhubaneswar Airport to Trishulia in Cuttack city at an estimated cost of Rs.6255.94 crores to be fully funded by the state government with twenty stations in between the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Patnaik said he had directed the preparation of a master plan to expand the Metro rail project to Khordha , Puri and Cuttack and described the metro project as the biggest investment in the infrastructure sector in the history of Odisha. The Chief Minister had announced the Metro rail project in April last year and the project was approved by the cabinet on November 14, 2023.
Official sources said within four months after the approval of the cabinet ,the DPR of the project was finalized and the foundation stone of the project was finally laid on Monday on the New year’s day. After the completion of the project it would emerge as the life line of twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack providing an affordable transport facility between the Bhubaneswar Airport to Trushilia in Cuttack. Odisha ministers Ashok Panda, Ranendra Prataop Swain, Usha Devi , Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation Mayor Sulochana Das, Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh,MLAs Debi Ranjan Trioathy,Souvik Biswal,Sushant Rout Ananta Naraya Jena and Chandra Sarathi Behera besides 5 T Chairman V K Pandian attended the programme.