Metro project slows down before study

The dream of chief minister Nitish Kumar and the residents of the city to travel in metro rail will not see the light of day in a hurry.Instead of speeding up their efforts, the officials of the state urban development department have stuck to their “lethargic” speed, delaying the work on the transport facility. They have failed to issue the notice inviting tender (NIT) for a techno-economic feasibility study for the metro rail project in the state capital, despite getting the nod from the chief minister and chief secretary.Urban development minister Prem Kumar told The Telegraph that it would be done by the end of this month. “The NIT and request for proposal (RFP) documents have been prepared. At present, they are under final review. We intend to release the NIT by the end of this month,” he said.On January 11, however, Shashi Shekhar Sharma, the principal secretary of the department, had said: “We will advertise for conducting the techno-economic feasibility study for the proposed urban rail system in the city in a couple of days.” The Telegraph reported it on January 12.Sharma, who is accompanying Nitish to Madhubani on his Seva Yatra, told The Telegraph over the telephone: “I am in the middle of meeting. I cannot comment on the matter of metro rail right now. Please call me later.”Asked why the tender advertisement had been delayed, Prem Kumar said: “The department is working on numerous schemes, including the metro rail project. Like all other projects, we are dealing with the metro rail plan with utmost sincerity. We do not want to take any hasty decisions in such a project.”Haste, however, should not have been a cause of worry for the department. Nitish had given his consent to issue a notice for the techno-economic feasibility study in November last year. He had also given his nod to the supporting RFP documents.On January 10 this year, the chief secretary also gave approval.Only after the feasibility report is submitted, will the urban development department issue expression of interest for the construction of the metro rail project.