Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha member Dr Sasmit Patra has shot off a strongly worded letter to Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal, demanding immediate Central intervention to stop the Odisha Government from scrapping the proposed Metro Rail project.
Envisioned during the tenure of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Metro Rail was planned as a modern mass transit backbone for the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack–Khurda–Puri corridor. The project was entirely funded by the State Government and was seen as a game-changer for urban mobility and economic development in the region.
In his letter, Dr Patra said scrapping the project would “undermine a fully planned infrastructure initiative and deprive the people of Odisha of a vital mobility and economic lifeline.” He stressed that governance is a continuous process and vital public projects must not be abandoned midway.
Dr. Patra pointed out that the Centre can easily revive the project under the National Urban Transport Policy and the Metro Rail Policy 2017. These policies explicitly provide for:
– 50:50 Centre–State equity participation through the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model
– Central assistance, including Viability Gap Funding (VGF)
– A clear assurance that States need not abandon metro projects due to fiscal constraints
The BJD MP has urged the Union Ministry to prevail upon the Odisha Government not to scrap the project and to facilitate its implementation through a 50:50 cost-sharing arrangement or equivalent support.
“This is essential to uphold national policy, ensure continuity in infrastructure development, and protect the long-term interests of the people of Odisha,” Dr Patra wrote, adding that if the “double engine government” is truly working, the Centre and State should immediately sit together and make the Metro Rail project functional.
