Odisha's Metro Rail Overhaul: A New Path Forward

Odisha government intends to draft a new plan for the Bhubaneswar Metro rail, involving a technical committee with support from the Centre. The project aims to learn from other cities' best practices, replacing earlier plans that have been scrapped, amid political criticism and statements from opposing parties.

The Odisha government is poised to redesign its Bhubaneswar Metro rail project by forming a technical committee of senior officials and experts, a minister announced on Thursday. This initiative comes after the scrapping of a previous plan by the former BJD government.

The inter-ministerial meeting, led by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo, underscored the significance of studying metro systems across cities to avoid the financial pitfalls other state projects have faced. The fresh proposal will involve detailing a new route plan, parking spaces, and infrastructure requirements.

Political friction accompanied the announcement, with the opposition BJD accusing the current BJP government of stalling progress. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty critiqued the BJP for sowing public confusion and failing to effectively advance the project, unlike previous efforts by the Naveen Patnaik administration.

(With inputs from agencies.)