Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar approved the long awaited Patna Metro Rail project’s proposal on Tuesday while directing that it be sent for the central government’s clearance, officials said.
He approved the proposal for the metro
rail project at a meeting called to review the performance of the state
urban development department here.
Bihar Urban Development Minister
Maheshwar Hazari said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Patna
Metro Rail project would be presented to the state cabinet for approval
soon.
“The Metro project is our priority. The
state government is keen to speed up the process to begin construction
as soon as possible,” he said.
The Rail India Technical and Economic
Service (RITES) last year submitted the DPR on the project to the Bihar
government, reducing the project estimates to Rs.14,000 crore from
Rs.17,000 crore earlier.
An urban development department official
said the Bihar government would now work to declare Patna a metropolis,
as it would help speed up the Metro project, which initially would have
two routes.
A corporation on the lines of Delhi
Metro Rail Corporation would be formed for monitoring the construction
of the project in Patna, he added.
Source : IndianMediaBook - Press Briefing
