Ranchi: In a major push to ease public commute and promote eco-friendly transit, the state urban development and housing department is driving a two-pronged transportation overhaul, featuring a revised metro rail blueprint for the state capital and the rollout of 400 electric buses across four cities.To promote clean transportation, the department plans to introduce 100 e-buses each in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Bokaro.State urban development secretary Sunil Kumar said on Friday, “There already is an in-principle approval for the project. Once formal approval from both the finance department and the urban development department is given, a proposal will be sent to the Centre to procure the e-buses under the PM e-Bus Seva scheme.”Highlighting the long-term vision behind the move, Kumar added, “Our core focus is to provide a seamless travel experience to commuters while cutting down urban emissions. Integrating electric mobility on this scale will significantly reduce traffic congestion and offer an affordable, reliable and green alternative to personal vehicles.”Simultaneously, the state has submitted a modified proposal to the Centre to kick-start Ranchi’s long-awaited metro rail project, after an earlier plan for three routes spanning 51 kilometres failed to get the central nod due to technical snags.“A proposal was sent earlier but there were a few observations from the Centre on the same. We have given clarification and sent a modified proposal for setting up the metro rail,” Kumar said.The revised transit plan maps out a 16 km metro corridor routing through critical city arteries, including Kanke Road, Kutchehry Road, Main Road, Doranda and Hinoo.“This high-density corridor has been carefully selected to maximise public convenience and reduce daily commute times across major commercial hubs,” Kumar said.Looking ahead, the secretary added, “We are working on proposals for up to 2035, in which more metro rail lines will be proposed.”
