Patna (Bihar) [India], October 6 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday inaugurated the first phase of the 3.6-km elevated stretch of the priority corridor of the Patna Metro rail project.
The inaugural stretch on the Blue Line will run from the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) to Bhoothnath station.
According to a press release, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Patna Metro Rail Project, estimated to cost Rs 13,365 crores, in February 2019.
Earlier in the day, Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal hailed the project and said that the people will be relieved of traffic jams.
Speaking to ANI, Dilip Jaiswal said that the inauguration of Patna Metro will be entered in golden letters in the history of the city.
He said, "Today will be written in golden letters in the history of Patna that the people of Patna, the people of Bihar, are getting the facility of Metro Rail. Until now, we used to go to Kolkata and Delhi to see the Metro Rail. People will be relieved of the problem of traffic jams. The environmental benefit of this is much greater. This Patna Metro is definitely a huge gift and a day of happiness for the people of Patna."
Taking a jibe at the Opposition ahead of the Assembly elections, Jaiswal said that they do not talk about development in the State.
"Does the opposition no longer have any development issues? Whatever the people want, whatever the voters need, the NDA government has done everything for that. So, doesn't the opposition want votes based on development and basic amenities? The opposition doesn't talk about development at all," he said.
Lauding the metro project, JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said that CM Nitish Kumar has taken "big decisions" for the State.
"The long wait of the people of Patna is about to end. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, undoubtedly, big decisions have been taken for the State. The metro is a major link in that series. Today, this dream of the people of Patna is going to be realised. This will also reduce the traffic problem in Patna to a great extent," the JD(U) leader told ANI.