Bhubaneswar, April 10: Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra on Friday clarified that the proposed Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project has not been cancelled, but temporarily put on hold.

“The Metro project has not been scrapped. It is temporarily suspended. The Bhubaneswar Metro Corporation continues to function,” the minister said. His statement comes after Aparajita Sarangi wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, seeking reconsideration of the earlier cabinet decision.

Mahapatra added that the matter is currently under the Chief Minister’s consideration, and an inter-ministerial committee has been formed to examine all aspects of the project in detail.

The minister criticised the previous government for announcing the metro project without proper assessment of ground realities or securing support from the central government. He noted that initial evaluations and test assessments revealed communication and operational challenges that could have caused larger issues if the project continued in its original form.

Mahapatra emphasised that the government remains committed to public welfare and will take a well-informed decision. A comprehensive mobility plan for Bhubaneswar is being prepared, after which the future course of the metro project will be finalised.

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