TNI Bureau: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has reportedly approved the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project.
According to reports, the proposed Metro Rail will connect Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri.
The Chief Minister gave his approval hours after his personal secretary (5T) V.K Pandian visited the site for metro railway connecting Cuttack and Puri.
Pandian along with Chief Secretary Pradeep Kunmar Jena, Development Commissioner Anu Garg and other senior officials visited the site for metro railway early this morning.
The Chief Minister while conveying his greetings to everyone on the occasion of Odisha Diwas, said “It is a proud day for each one of us. On this memorable day, the long cherished dream of every Odia became a reality I Offer my humble tributes to all those illustrious personalities without whom Odisha would not have become a reality… The relentless struggle of many great women and men will continue to inspire generations to come.”
“True to the vision of the architects of modern Odisha, the state has seen rapid strides in development and emerged as a role model in many fields. Odisha is on the path of resurgence in many fields. Our people have also excelled in multiple fields and made their mark across the world. Odisha synonymous with a rich cultural heritage is today also known for good governance, people centric administration, inclusivity, disaster management women’s empowerment, sporting excellence, world class skilling programmes , high socio economic indicators, great infrastructure, and so on, Odisha is on cusp of deep transformative change,” he added.
The CM further said, “Our journey forward is guided by the great leaders who aspired and gave us the 1st linguistic state in 1936. The great Biju Patnaik- the pioneer of modern Odisha said “In my dream of the 21st century for the state, I would have young men and women who put the interest of the state before them. They will have pride in themselves, confidence in themselves.”
Informing about the metro train project, Patnaik said, “With the blessings of such visionary forefathers, we need to dream big and work hard to become one of the most progressive states of the country. On this momentous occasion I am pleased to announce the metro train project connecting Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Khurda. The project has been studied by various stake holders and feasibility reports prepared. In the first phase we will create the metro trunk route from Trisulia near Cuttack to Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. The route will tentatively touch major landmarks such as Nandankanan, Patia, Vani Vihar, Railway Station and so on. As the project is starting from near Subash Bose Setu, it will enable the commuters from CTC to access important locations in BBSR. In later phases the metro will expand to Khurda and Puri.”
“I have asked Housing and Urban Development Department to complete the DPR on a war footing. The project will be predominantly based on elevated corridors and will be entirely funded by the state government,” he added.
Patnaik while saying about his dream ‘New Odisha’ said, “We have always strived to push boundaries and improve the lives of our people. And today, with the announcement of this new project, we are taking another step towards a New Odisha to provide best in class metro services for the people of the state. Equipped with state-of art facilities, it will not only offer world-class, environment friendly urban transport for an emerging and aspirational Odisha but also spur encomic activities and accelerate expansion of our urban city cluster covering Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda. The emergence of a modern and planned city cluster will attract people, investments, trade and tourism like never before. This will be a truly transformational project implemented using the principles of 5T.”
“This is the New Odisha we are aspiring to create as our humble tribute to the people and the creators of our beloved State of Odisha,” he added.