Bihar is going to introduce necessary changes in the detailed project report (DPR) of Patna's Metro project in the light of the Centre recently formulating a new Metro policy.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chief minister Nitish Kumar chaired on Thursday to review works undertaken by the urban development and housing department.
In April, The Telegraph had pointed out this likely change in the DPR submitted by the state as a senior department official said the project was not likely to be approved by the Centre given that it was formulating a new Metro policy.
Bihar had sent the DPR for the Centre's approval in March 2016. The Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), which was assigned the task by the state government, formulated it.
'We have decided to avail the services of RITES for introducing necessary changes in the earlier formulated DPR in the light of the needs of the new metro policy,' urban development and housing department principal secretary Chaitanya Prasad said. 'Work on this would commence soon.'
Some of the major changes the new Metro policy talks about are related to formulation of a city mobility plan, transit-oriented development plan for developing the areas falling along the Metro corridor and having an integrated urban transport system and all these details have to be provided along with the DPR that has to be submitted to the Centre.
The state has opted for 50:50 equity sharing model between the central and state governments and also has a provision for raising loans to execute it. The new policy, which got the Union cabinet's nod on August 16, talks about three models for executing the Metro project. One among them is the public-private-partnership mode with a provision of viability gap funding by the Centre. Under the second model, the Centre grants 10 per cent of the Metro project cost to the state, while the state mobilises the rest. The third model is the one Bihar has opted.
Under the model opted by Bihar, a special purpose vehicle would have to be set up for executing the project and its chairman would be the nominee of the central government. The state can depute its official in the SPV for the post of managing director.
Some of the other decisions taken at Thursday's review meeting pertained to taking steps for making a master plan for Rajgir, Bodhgaya, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Biharsharif and Ara towns; framing a rule which would not allow any agency to dig up more than 250m of road in one go and allowing further digging only after repairing the dug road; finding out ways for using sewerage water for irrigation purpose; formulating a policy for segregation of waste at source and then its proper disposal.
