The state urban development department by the end of July will issue a fresh request for proposal to conduct the pre-feasibility study for the proposed urban rail network in Patna.

Once a firm is selected, the authorities will ascertain which mode of urban rail system — mono or Metro — is best suited for the state capital. The request for proposal was meant to be issued around four months ago but had been delayed because of the engagement of senior officers in the chief minister’s Seva Yatra, officials claimed.

Urban development minister Prem Kumar told The Telegraph: “The department is in the final stage of preparing the bid documents and we intend to issue the request for proposal to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the proposed urban rail system in Patna by the end of this month.”

He added: “A firm will be selected in the next one month. It would get four months to submit its report. By December end, we will be in a position to know whether Metro or mono rail would be feasible for the city or not.”

Under the pre-feasibility study, the consultant selected would be required to conduct soil tests, traffic and engineering surveys, alignment review and land plans.

The consultant would also have to produce a preliminary financial assessment of the project, indicating the likely cost outlay element for a period of 25 years, 30 years and 35 years, respectively.

The participating firms had suggested the state government in the first pre-proposal meeting on February 17 to conduct a two-stage bidding for the technical and financial study and prepare the detail the project report for Metro or mono rail in Patna. The firms had also disapproved the six-month stipulation to finalise the pre-feasibility study and prepare the detail project report.

The department, after a second pre-proposal conference on March 13, had decided to issue the fresh request for proposal to ascertain the best mode of urban rail system in Patna within the next 10 days.

Senior officers of the urban development department claimed that the four-month delay occurred because the then principal secretary of the department, Shashi Shekhar Sharma, had to accompany chief minister Nitish Kumar on his Seva Yatra. Later, the officer was also transferred.

“The principal secretary of the urban development department is the ex-officio nodal officer of the Patna urban rail project. However, because of his continuous engagements in the Seva Yatra of the chief minister, he (Sharma) could not review the progress of the project on a regular basis. He was also transferred in June,” said a senior officer in the department.

“The new secretary of the department, Sudhir Kumar, is assessing the progress of the project before taking further steps,” he added.