Bhubaneswar: Odisha Cabinet extended its approval to the proposed Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project on Tuesday.
The Cabinet approved the detailed project report of phase I of the metro rail project in its meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The metro rail from Trisulia Square to Bhubaneswar Airport will be taken up with a cost of Rs 5,929.38 crore. The state government, which will bear the entire cost of the project, has already made a provision of Rs 210 crore in the Supplementary Budget for the current year.
The Chief Minister is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the project on January 1, 2024.
Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation, a fully owned company of the state government, has been incorporated under the Companies Act. The company has already started functioning.
A high-level committee under the chairmanship of Development Commissioner has been constituted for overseeing the expeditious engagement of an executing agency for the project.
The work of Bhubaneswar Metro, which will be started soon, is targeted for completion within 48 months.