Centre not giving approval of DPR for Patna Metro: Hazari

Bihar Urban Development and Housing Minister Maheshwar Hazari today charged the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to the state by not giving its in principle approval of DPR for Patna Metro.
"It has been more than a year since the Patna Metro project's Detailed Project Report (DPR) is pending for clearance with the Central government. The Centre has not given its in-principle approval to the project for metro in Patna. The Government of India should give its approval to the metro project at the earliest," Hazari said in the state Legislative Council.
"The Central government is meting out step-motherly treatment to the state and is not giving approval due to political rivalry...It is okay if the Centre does not give a penny to the project but it should just give the clearance to the DPR at the earliest. We will complete the project on our own resources," Hazari said.

The minister was replying to debate on his department's budgetary allocation of Rs 4335.01 crore for 2017-18 which was subsequently passed by the ruling benches amid walk out by BJP led NDA members due to government's unsatisfactory reply.
Referring to his meeting with the Union Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu vis-a-vis metro project, the minister said the Union minister had asked him (Hazari) to send the state government's DPR.
"We have sent it one year ago but it is still lying with the Centre. The Centre gave its clearance to the metro project of Nagpur within 15 days," he said while accusing the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment.

He charged the Narendra Modi-led Central government of effecting a heavy slash in its share in almost every scheme which has adversely affected poor states.