Bhubaneswar Metro Project: Survey for Vani Vihar-Sishu Bhawan Square stretch begins

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation (BMCR) on Friday started the survey for first phase of metro construction work from Vani Vihar to Sishu Bhawan Square in the Odisha capital.

According to sources, the survey was jointly conducted by BMCR, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, TPCODL, GAIL, BSNL, WATCO, and Commissionerate Police early in the morning to stay safe from the prevailing intense heatwave conditions.

The team surveyed the roads, electricity poles, water pipes, telephone lines and gas pipelines on this proposed stretch which includes five stations- Master Canteen, Vani Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Patia and Nandankanan.

The metro corridor worth Rs 6,255 crore, connecting Bhubaneswar with Cuttack, will have a total of 20 stations including Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Capital Hospital, Sishu Bhawan, Bapuji Nagar, Bhubaneswar Railway Station, Ram Mandir Square, Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar Square, Jaydev Vihar Square, Xavier Square, Rail Sadan, District Centre, Damana Square, Patia Square, KIIT Square, Nandan Vihar, Raghunathpur, Nanadankanan Zoological Park, Phulapokhari and Trisulia Square.

The BMRC has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the purpose. 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. The 26-km elevated line connecting Bhubaneswar Airport to Trisulia in Cuttack is expected to be completed in four years.

The state government recently allocated Rs.1,000 crore for the ambitious project in the vote-on-account 2024-25.