Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Public Enterprises Minister Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra stated on Monday that while the city’s long-awaited metro rail project is still a major component of its future urban transport plans, the immediate priority is to reduce traffic congestion by building the Bhubaneswar Region Ring Road. In an interview with reporters, Dr. Mahapatra recognized the difficulties encountered during the testing phase of the last metro project, which caused major traffic jams and passenger annoyance. He clarified that it is not feasible to close key roadways for prolonged periods of time because the metro construction is a long-term project that may take many years.
“To address the present traffic woes, our government has prioritised the ring road project, which has recently received approval from the Central government. This 110.875 km six-lane access-controlled ring road will connect Khordha, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack and is expected to significantly reduce congestion in the region,” said the minister.
With an estimated cost of Rs 8,307.74 crore, the ring road project would be built using the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). According to Dr. Mahapatra, a technical team has been carrying out in-depth research for the metro project. The state government will work with the Center to advance the metro when their report is completed and submitted. Although the metro is still necessary for Bhubaneswar’s future, the government did not provide a precise implementation date.
“The metro is definitely on the cards, but right now, the ring road is our immediate priority to ease the city’s traffic burden,” he said.
