ORIDL Ropes In Delhi Metro To Prepare For Metro Rail Service In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In another step towards providing metro rail service in Odisha, the state government has assigned the ORIDL to prepare the detailed project report (DPR).

According to official sources, the Odisha Rail Infrastructure Development Ltd (ORIDL), a joint venture of Odisha government and the Ministry of Railways, has roped in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the preparation of the DPR.

After Chief Minster Naveen Patnaik approved the metro rail project between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar on April 1, the City Coordination Committee (CCC), formed by the government to expedite preparations for the proposed project, held its first meeting on Monday.

ORIDL director gave a detailed presentation on metro alignment, multi-agency integration and other requirements at the meeting. Besides, availability of necessary data, transport and mobility trends for the proposed project, developmental works were discussed.

“Apart from the DPR, a master plan will also be prepared for the metro network covering other areas of Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Cuttack and Puri,” TNIE quoted BDA vice-chairman and CCC chairman Balwant Singh as saying.

Singh, who presided the meeting, told the officials to ensure swift data sharing and inter-department coordination to ensure timely preparation of the DPR. They were told to follow an integrated and systematic approach in preparing the groundwork for implementation of the project.

“This was the first formal meeting of the committee in which focus was on various preparatory and planning works related to the proposed metro project,” said BMC commissioner and BSCL CEO Vijay Amruta Kulange, who is also the vice-chairman of the coordination committee.

In the first phase, the DPR will be prepared from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar to Trishulia, covering Master Canteen, Vani Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Patia, Raghunathpur, Nandankanan on the route, the sources said.

It may be noted that the chief minister had approved the project after Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore informed the Rajya Sabha that no proposal for metro services between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack had been received from the state government.

The project will be predominantly based on elevated corridors with entire funding by the state government.