The cabinet of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday gave the nod to metro projects in four cities of the state.
Patna Metro, the foundation of which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 17, 2019, is currently under construction.
In a cabinet meeting chaired by Kumar, approval was given to metro projects in Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur.
"The state cabinet approved the Urban Development and Housing Department's proposal pertaining to metro rail projects in Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur. Now, the feasibility reports will be prepared after which the detailed project reports (DPR) will be finalised," S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
While the central and state government will each bear 20 per cent cost of the project, the remaining 60 per cent will be borne by financial institutions, he said.
In the first phase of Patna Metro, five stations are expected to be operational by March next year. The first phase will have 15.36 km of elevated track and 16.30 km of underground track.
The cabinet also gave its approval to the proposal moved by the General Administration Department (GAD) authorising different commissions, including Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) and Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), to conduct preliminary examinations of different recruitment exams in two phases, if appearing students are in large number.
"It will be entirely up to the commissions to hold preliminary examinations of different recruitment exams in two stages, if the number of appearing candidates is large. However, other than preliminary exams, all further examinations will be conducted on a specific date in Patna and surrounding areas," he said.
"The cabinet also gave its go-ahead to conduct these examinations in both online and offline modes," he added.
Also, the Cabinet approved a proposal of the sports department to open sports cubs in all panchayats in the state, the official added.
