UP cabinet okays light rail transit system to ease traffic in Gorakhpur

In a move aimed at ensuring smoother traffic movement in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, the state cabinet has given its nod to light rail transit system and approved its Detailed Project Report (DPR).The proposed project would be 27.84 kilometre long and will have two elevated corridors and 27 stations, according to a press statement released here on Saturday.

The project is worth total Rs 4,672 crore and targeted to be commissioned by 2024, the release said.

With a view to improve traffic arrangements of Gorakhpur and make them smooth, the cabinet has approved light rail transit (LRT) project as the public transport system and approved its DPR, it added.

The release said besides the Metro projects currently operational in Lucknow , Ghaziabad and Noida, work on regional rapid transit system from Delhi to Meerut was in progress for which Rs 900 crore were provided through the 2020-21 budget by the state government.A provision of Rs 286 crore was made for the Agra Metro rail project and Rs 358 crore for Kanpur Metro rail project where the work was in progress, according to the release.

In another important decision towards the ease of doing business, the cabinet approved decentralising the decision-making in processing matters related to setting up of distilleries/ captive distilleries/ production of liquor/ increase in alcohol-manufacturing capacity.Under this, some of the decision-making powers have been decentralised to deputy excise commissioner level from the commissioner of excise to avoid delay in the process.

To formalise the, the amendment in UP Distilleries Rules has been approved by the cabinet, the release said.The cabinet also gave its approval for demolition of old buildings for constructing new collectorate building in Gorakhpur.The collectorate building was built in 1903 and was in a bad shape, the release added.