Patna Metro Detail Project Report by August end

Patna Metro Detail Project Report by August end

Patna (PNBE): Minister for Urban Development and Housing Department Samrat Choudhary has said the process for the launch of the Metro trains in Patna has been expedited and the state government will submit a detailed project report (DPR) to the Centre for clearance and sanctioning of funds after August.

Choudhary said on Monday nothing concrete was achieved regarding the Metro rail in Patna when Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Prem Kumar of the BJP headed the state urban development ministry. The JD (U) government, however, gave the contract to a central government undertaking, Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) Ltd, to identify the route and prepare a DPR.

“In 45 days’ time, we have decided the route and the DPR will be ready by August 31 this year,” Choudhary said, adding the construction of Metro rail would gain momentum only after the central assistance came. He, however, pointed out the UP government also prepared a Rs 5,000-crore DPR for Metro rail in Lucknow, but the Centre allotted only Rs 200 crore for it.

Choudhary was giving the government’s reply to the debate in the state assembly on the Rs 1,420 crore budgetary demand of his department for 2014-15. Earlier, BJP’s Arun Shankar had moved a cut motion.

The BJP MLAs, led by leader of opposition Nand Kishore Yadav, walked out of the house in protest against the government’s alleged failure to provide details regarding the money it utilized during 2012-13 and 2013-14. The house passed the budgetary demand by voice vote.

According to the minister, his department has prepared a blueprint along with monetary allotment for providing tap water to every household in Patna apart from street lights and traffic and solid waste management systems in the city. The construction of a bus terminus on the outskirts of Patna at a cost of Rs 250 crore will also be started.

Patna has only 17 points for traffic light system, but now electronic traffic system will be installed at 97 points. Besides, a central control unit would be created to regulate traffic movement, covering Hajipur, Phulwari and Khagaul. Street lights would be provided in Patna and all other district HQ towns in the state by March 31 next year, but Patna will have it before Diwali this year, Choudhary said.

The government has decided to construct 77 Nagar Sarkar buildings in the urban local bodies. In addition to piped water supply projects for select towns, a Rs 493-crore water supply project for Bhagalpur has also been sanctioned, the minister said.