lucknow

Updated: May 06, 2017 12:43 IST

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday announced that the first phase of Lucknow Metro will start for the public in second half of June this year.

“Considerable progress has been made on the Lucknow Metro project. The previous government (Samajwadi Party) had dedicated only a half-complete metro rail project in Lucknow. We have received only three trains up to now. We will need one more train. The necessary instructions in this regard have been issued,” he said after a meeting with union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu here.

The chief minister also said: “The work on metro first phase, about 8 km, is nearing completion. The procedure that includes the railway safety commissioner’s clearance will need about one-and-a-half months. We will be able to complete all these procedures only after mid-June 2017.”

He also said there was a need to set up metro rail in Kanpur and Varanasi.

“We have sent the detailed project reports (DPRs) for Kanpur and Varanasi projects. We have also initiated the process of preparing DPR for Meerut, Agra and Allahabad and sought preparation of DPR for Jhansi and Gorakhpur too,” he said.

About the Swachh Bharat Mission, Yogi said UP’s rating, declared on Thursday, was very poor. But this survey was conducted for the period before installation of new government, he said.

“We will declare 30 cities open defecation free (ODF) before December 2017,” the chief minister announced.

“We had worked out an elaborate plan much before the survey report and decided to make the whole of UP ODF by October 2018. Besides seeking assistance from the union government, we have worked out a separate plan under corporate social responsibility. We will also seek help from different social service organisations. The chief secretary will monitor the scheme at the state level. Urban development minister Suresh Khanna will launch the programme in Lucknow on Saturday. I will launch the scheme in Agra on Sunday,” he said.

The chief minister said the state government had also worked out a scheme for solid waste management in 10 metropolitan towns of the state. Details of this scheme will be sent to the centre soon. Under Smart City project, 14 cities have been selected, he said, adding, “We have sent proposals to the centre for cities selected under the Smart City project.”

He also said: “It is true that the previous government was lax in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Housing Scheme. So far, proposals had been sent only for 11,000 houses. In the past one-and-a-half months, we have made preparations for 1.5 lakh houses. These proposals are being sent to the centre. We have set a target of sending proposals for at least six lakh such houses in next one year. Under the scheme, we will provide two bed rooms with a kitchen. We will provide Rs 2.5 lakh to the beneficiaries. This will include a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh from the centre and Rs 1 lakh from state government.”