CUTTACK: In order to provide smooth and better communication facilities to people of the Millennium City as well as rural populace of the district, Cuttack Municipality Corporation (CMC) has decided to introduce a fleet of 100 city buses under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
In the first phase, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will flag off 30 city buses on April 14, CMC Commissioner Gyana Das said.
The city bus service, to be run under public-private-partnership mode, will be managed by Cuttack Urban Transport Service Limited (CUTSL) with the support of CMC and Sahara Roadways, a private agency, Das said and added that the Housing and Urban Development Department will provide the buses under JNNURM.
Each city bus will be equipped with facilities such as GPRS, CCTV surveillance, fire extinguishers and double-door system with emergency exist at a cost of `26 lakh.
In the first phase, the bus Service will be introduced on 10 routes which are Badambadi to Banki and Athagarh via Naraj, Kandarpur to Markat Nagar Sector 6 via OMP Square, Phulnakhara to Biju Patnaik Park via Badambadi, Choudwar-Charbatia to Biju Patnaik Park via OMP, Tangi to National Law University via Badambadi, Bentakar to Bidanasi via OMP, College Square, Jobra, SB Women’s College, Purighat to Link road via Sati Chaura, Barabati Stadium, College Square, Badambadi to Badambadi via OMP, Chahata, Kacheri and Mahanadi Vihar to Barang Nandankanan via Malachandia Chowk, Naraj and Trisulia. The city buses will run at one-hour interval.
The CMC has also planned to construct 52 bus stops and three bus terminals for the service and two workshops at Bidanasi and Choudwar for necessary repair and maintenance of the buses.
Currently, only 18 private buses are plying on three routes of the City. The city bus service will not only address communication woes of residents but also of those residing in peripheral localities.
On the other hand, residents of Cuttack Sadar and 42 Mauza expressed their discontentment as these two localities have been excluded from the city bus service. However, CMC authorities clarified that the left-out areas will be brought under the cover of city bus service in the second phase.