BHUBANESHWAR: The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) is mulling construction of bus bays at the block level across the state to facilitate passengers in rural areas.
Sources in the state transport department said the corporation has submitted a list of 50 blocks where it has planned to set up bus buys in the first phase. The bus bays will be developed in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode and the OSRTC will create a suitable mechanism to ensure that the bus bays are properly constructed and managed.
Meanwhile, an official from the transport department said that during a meeting held recently regarding the implementation of the project, the OSRTC has been asked to reexamine its list of 50 blocks it has submitted to the department before approval of the project and sanction of the funds for construction of the bus bays.
The OSRTC has not given sufficient justification basing on which these 50 blocks have been selected. Accordingly, the corporation has been asked to reexamine the list and take into account certain parameters for site selection of the bus bays fixed by the department.
The corporation will now look whether any bus stand is operating in the block at present; is there any need for a second bus stand, availability of government land in the location selected, number daily commuters and bus traffic of the area at present and commercial viability of construction of such bus stand in the area.