Patna: It was reported that the detailed project report (DPR) for Patna Metro will be submitted by June 15. However, the executing agency of the India Railway – Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has got an extension of 15 days. The additional days have been given by the state urban development and housing department (UDHD) to the agency to finalise the DRP for Patna Metro rail project.
As per the information provided by the UDHD officials the DPR that was scheduled to be submitted by June 15 will now be handed over by June 30. The RITES agency has been given 15 days extension to fine tune the DPR.
The DPR will then be sent to the state government for its approval. Once the state government gives its nod, the report will then be submitted for final approval from the Union ministry of urban development.
Once the DPR is approved by state and central government, the officials feel that work on Patna Metro will be started by the end of 2018. As per the estimate, the first phase of project will take approximately three years for completion.
Sources inform that the extension given to RITES is to facilitate addition of a couple of ongoing infrastructure projects in Patna city. A UDHD officials giving example shared that they have asked RITES to incorporate Lohia Path Chakra project on Bailey Road so that the DPR does not need to be amended afterwards.
As per UDHD officials, several meetings have been held to discuss preliminary DPR. Suresh Kumar Sharma, the UDHD minister has already met Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union minister of state with independent charge in the ministry of urban development on June 7. Sharma has been assured by Puri that once DPR is submitted, the approval will be given at the earliest.
The estimated cost of the Patna Metro project is pegged at Rs 17,000 crore, informed the UDHD official. As per the initial plan, the central and state government will be bearing 20% (each) cost of the project. The remaining amount (60 %) will be taken on low interest rate from various financial agencies, added the official.
