Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday, 11 October conducted an on-site inspection of the Patna Metro Rail project along Nehru Path, reviewing construction progress at key junctions including Income Tax Golambar, High Court Chauraha, and Hanuman Temple. The visit underscored the state government's push to meet the project's 2028 completion deadline.

Key Directives from the Inspection

During the review, Chief Minister Choudhary stressed that quality and safety standards must not be compromised at any stage of construction. He instructed officials to ensure the project stays on schedule and called for stronger coordination among all departments and agencies involved in the metro build-out.

Notably, Choudhary ordered the expeditious construction of two foot-overbridges on Nehru Path — one near J.D. Women's College and the other in the High Court Crossing–Bihar Museum area — to facilitate safe and seamless pedestrian movement during and after construction.

Public Convenience a Priority

The Chief Minister directed officials to minimise disruption to daily life in and around the construction zones. He specifically instructed improvements to traffic management and commuter arrangements, emphasising that citizen safety and smooth movement must be treated as non-negotiable alongside the pace of development work.

Choudhary stated that there should be 'no compromise on safety or public amenities' — a directive aimed at both the metro contractor teams and the civic administration overseeing site management.

Significance of the Patna Metro Project

The Patna Metro Rail project is considered critical to overhauling the state capital's public transport infrastructure, which has long struggled with congestion on arterial roads like Nehru Path. The metro is expected to ease chronic traffic bottlenecks and cut commute times for lakhs of daily passengers once operational.

This comes amid broader urbanisation pressures on Patna, which has seen rapid population growth but lagged peer cities in mass rapid transit coverage. The 2028 deadline, if met, would place Patna among the newer additions to India's expanding metro network.

Officials Present at the Review

Chief Minister Choudhary was accompanied by Cooperation Minister Ramkripal Yadav, Science, Technology and Technical Education Minister Sheila Kumari, Patna District Magistrate Kundan Kumar, and Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K., along with other senior officials.

With the 2028 target now firmly on record, the pace of construction and quality of coordination between agencies will be closely watched in the months ahead.