Cuttack: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday staged a protest demanding the inclusion of the proposed Cuttack–Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project in the 2026 Union Railway Budget. 

The protest was held at Barabati Square under the leadership of Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh. Addressing the gathering, BJD leaders asserted that the metro project must be included in the 2026 Budget and implemented without further delay.

Party leaders and workers urged the Centre to immediately allocate funds and resume construction, stating that the project is crucial for improving urban mobility between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Project launched in 2023 with state funding

The metro project was formally launched in 2023 by the then BJD government using state funds. The foundation stone was laid at Trisulia, and the project was scheduled to be completed within four years. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had received the tender to execute the project, said Cuttack Mayor. 

As per the original plan, the Metro line was to connect Cuttack’s SCB Medical College, Netaji Bus Terminal and the Orissa High Court, extending up to the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. In the initial phase, 13 trains with three coaches each were proposed, with an estimated daily around one lakh passengers. 

The project had received cabinet approval in its 26th meeting held on November 14, 2023, during which expenditure was formally sanctioned. However, after the formation of the new BJP government in 2024, the metro project was cancelled midway, he alleged.

Rs 393 crore spent before work was halted

According to BJD leaders, around Rs 393 crore had already been spent, and construction work had continued for nearly one-and-a-half years before being abruptly stopped. They alleged that halting the project caused significant loss to public interest and urban transport planning.

BJD calls exclusion from 2026 Budget a “Betrayal”

Senior BJD leaders described the absence of the metro project in the 2026 Union Railway Budget as a “major betrayal” of the people of Odisha. They warned that the agitation would be intensified in the coming days and expanded from Odisha to Delhi to press for the project’s revival.