BHUBANESWAR: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday criticised the state government for not making ‘sincere efforts’ for the implementation of a metro project in the state capital.
“Everyone wants the metro project to be brought to the state. However, there have to be sincere efforts for the same,” said Pradhan during the Rajdhani-Tejas Express flagging-off event here. He said a project this nature cannot be implemented merely by the visit of four to five officials to proposed sites and clicking of pictures. Besides, soil testing alone is not enough to carry out such a project, he said.
“It is a project implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in close coordination with the states concerned,” Pradhan said. The union minister also raised the issue of waterlogging in front of the Bhubaneswar railway station and drew the attention of BJD MLA Anant Narayan Jena to the issue.
Besides, he urged the state government to take up the beautification work of the railway station’s front area at the earliest.
“The redevelopment work of the Bhubaneswar railway station has already started. As the land in front of the station is with the state government, it should take up the beautification project immediately,” he said. Jena, however, said the state government always gave thrust to timely completion of projects. He said work on the metro project has already begun and the state government is taking all possible measures for it timely implementation.