Patna, Sep 6 (IANS) The detailed project report (DPR) for the Patna metro will be ready by Oct 31, state Urban Development Minister Samrat Choudhary said Saturday.

"We are confident that DPR for the Patna metro would be ready by the end of October this year," Choudhary said here.

"It (Patna metro) is estimated to cost Rs. 17,000 crore," Choudhary said.

He said that initially the metro rail will be run on two routes in the city, followed by other routes at a later stage.

A Patna Metro Rail Corporation on the lines of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be formed for monitoring the construction, he added.

An interim report on the project would be sent to the union urban development ministry soon for approval, the minister said.

Patna is home to more than two million people, and congestion is a serious problem on the city's overcrowded lanes.