Odisha Govt Using Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project As Poll Gimmick, Claims BJP

Bhubaneswar: Raising doubt over the fate of Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Odisha government of trying to mislead the people with an eye on the next elections.

Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, state BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said the state government is giving wide publicity to Bhubaneswar Metro Rail by making a series of announcements.

While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to lay its foundation stone on January 1, 2024, the state government surprisingly proposes to start the work from June, next year when the elections would be over, he said.

Biswal wondered as to what will happen to the fund allocated for the project in the supplementary budget if the work is slated to commence only in June, 2024.

Terming announcement of Bhubaneswar Metro as a poll gimmick of the ruling BJD, the BJP leader claimed that the chief minister’s office while responding to RTI query said it has no information on Metro Rail Project as it is handled by the Housing and Urban Development department.

While the state government is not able to construct roads and overbridges perfectly, no one can believe that it would be able to successfully complete metro project in 4 years, he said.

Accusing the state government of having forgotten its pre-poll promises in the past, the BJP leader claimed that the project is another gimmick by the BJD to mislead the people in view of the coming elections. It has been the practice of the ruling party to announce such major projects to attract votes.
“We have seen many such announcements meeting a silent death earlier. The Metro project will also face similar fate once the elections are over,” Biswal said.

The BJP leader further stated that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is the equal partner in most metro projects being implemented in different states. Similarly, the Centre is an equal partner in Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project and the state government should refrain from indulging in petty propaganda, Biswal said.

It may be noted that the chief minister held a review meeting on the status of Phase I of Bhubaneswar Metro recently. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the metro rail has been approved at a total cost of Rs 5929 crore, which will be fully borne by the government.