BJP MP Sarangi breaks ranks, seeks rethink on Bhubaneswar metro rollback

After the Opposition, Bhubaneswar BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi has broken ranks and urged a rethink on scrapping the Bhubaneswar Metro project.

The BJD has been attacking the Odisha BJP government since the state cabinet cleared the cancellation on April 4. Now, Sarangi has joined the chorus, writing to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the decision.

"Ignoring public demand risks betraying expectations and weakening trust in development promises. Not all government projects must be profit-driven; some serve public good. The Metro Rail project is essential for Bhubaneswar and the adjoining metropolitan region," she said.

The project, launched under former CM Naveen Patnaik in 2024, had an approved outlay of ₹6,255.94 crore for Phase I, linking Bhubaneswar airport to Trisulia, with a December 2027 deadline. In August last year, Patnaik had accused the new government of neglecting the project. Urban development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra had then termed it unviable, suggesting a broader Puri-Bhubaneswar-Cuttack metro instead.

Amid backlash, Mahapatra on Friday said the project has not been scrapped but put on hold.

"The earlier project was unviable. The government is exploring alternatives. The metro will be reconsidered after a detailed mobility plan," he said, adding that the Centre would be consulted-unlike under the previous government.