The state government will operate the extended Metro rail lines connecting Badi Chaupar and Transport Nagar, and Mansarovar and the 200-feet bypass in a joint venture with the Union government, as stated by Vaibhav Galriya, the secretary of the urban development and housing (UDH) department, on Wednesday.

Discussions are ongoing to finalise the agreement. He explained that once the joint venture is established, the state government will need to cover only 20 per cent of the project’s construction cost. Officials indicated that while the Union government will contribute an additional 20 per cent, the remaining 60 per cent of the cost will be financed through a soft loan.

A senior JMRC official explained that all Metro rail projects across the country operate under this joint venture model, with Jaipur being the only exception so far.

Although work on Line 1D, which connects Mansarovar to the 200-feet Bypass, is progressing, Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) had halted construction on Line 1C, which connects Badi Chaupar and Transport Nagar, in September.

The second phase of the Jaipur Metro was funded by a Rs 9.69 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which JMRC has been struggling to repay.

Meanwhile, Hawa Mahal MLA Balmukund Acharya has written to UDH Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra, requesting a realignment of the Metro route from Badi Chaupar to Ramgarh Mod via Amer Road, which aligns with his assembly constituency.