Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra on Monday urged the Centre to intervene and asked the Odisha government not to scrap the proposed Metro rail project.

In a letter to Union minister of housing and urban affairs Manohar Lal, the BJD MP said: “The project is a critical mass transit backbone for the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Khurda-Puri corridor. Its scrapping would undermine a planned infrastructure initiative and deprive people of a vital mobility and economic lifeline.”

He said the project was entirely state-funded, but the Centre could facilitate revival under the National Urban Transport Policy and Metro Rail Policy, 2017, which provides for 50:50 Centre-state participation and viability gap funding.

Patra urged the minister to prevail upon the state government to reconsider its decision and enable implementation through shared funding. “This is essential to ensure continuity in infrastructure development and protect long-term interests,” he said.

At a media conference, Bhubaneswar mayor Sulochana Das said the Metro was not only for residents of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack but also a matter of pride for the state.

“The government speaks of a developed Odisha by 2036. How logical is it without a Metro?” she asked.

Cuttack mayor Subhash Singh said the people would not forgive the decision to cancel the project.

The Metro, proposed at a cost of ₹6,255.94 crore, was to connect Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar with Trisulia near Cuttack.

The project, launched in 2024, was to be executed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, whose contract has since been terminated.