Bhubaneswar: A route survey for the proposed Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project was conducted for identification and relocation of essential utilities on the identified stretch.
A special team of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) along with officials of Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and other agencies concerned carried out the survey, official sources said.
The route survey, which is a pre-requisite for implementation of the ambitious project, was conducted from Capital Hospital square to Trisulia on Friday and Saturday.
Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), Commissionerate Police, TPCODL, GAIL, BSNL and WATCO officials were also associated with the survey.
“The main purpose of the survey was to find infrastructure and elements of different service and utility agencies within the identified stretch of the metro project. It included identification of traffic posts at major junctions, electricity poles, water pipes, telephone lines, gas pipelines and other essential utilities that need to be shifted to facilitate seamless execution of the project,” an officer of BMRC was quoted by TNIE as saying.
Following the survey, the DMRC team left for New Delhi and the agencies concerned will now prepare estimation so that funds could be placed for shifting of the elements from the stretch.
The Odisha government has roped in DMRC for the project, which seeks to connect Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar to Trisulia in Cuttack in the first phase. Taken up at an investment of Rs 6,255 crore, the project is expected to be completed in the next four years.
The DMRC received approval for its Detailed Project Report (DPR) from the state government on October 7, 2023, while the foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 1.
In the first phase, the project will cover 26 km with 20 stations including BPIA, Capital Hospital, Sishu Bhawan, Bapuji Nagar, Bhubaneswar Railway Station, Ram Mandir, Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Xavier square, Rail Sadan, District Centre, Damana square, Patia square, KIIT square, Nandan Vihar, Raghunathpur, Nandankanan Zoological Park, Phulapokhari and Trisulia square.
The state government recently allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the ambitious project in the vote-on-account 2024-25.
