BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to bring all bus stands, currently managed by the urban local bodies (ULBs), under the jurisdiction of the Commerce and Transport department, as part of the newly-approved ‘Atal Bus Stand’ (ABS) scheme.
The move is aimed at creating a unified system for construction, renovation, operation, maintenance and management of bus stands across the state.
The state government has planned an outlay of around `3,400 crore for the scheme, which will continue till the 2031-32 financial year. Under the scheme, modern bus stands will be developed/reconstructed at the district headquarters, sub-divisional headquarters, block headquarters, urban local bodies, tourist destinations and other important locations in Odisha.
Accordingly, Transport secretary NBS Rajput has asked the Housing and Urban Development department to issue necessary instructions to the ULBs for handing over of all bus stands under their jurisdiction to the Commerce and Transport department.
As per the letter, the cabinet, in its 38th meeting held on April 10, 2026, had approved the ‘Atal Bus Stand’ scheme as a part of which all existing bus stands under earlier schemes and ULBs would be incorporated and integrated under one umbrella scheme to standardise their development and management. A standard operating procedure (SOP) for the process would be separately issued by the department, said the letter.
As per the resolution of the Transport department, issued recently, the scheme aims to modernise public transport infrastructure and improve operational efficiency of bus stands across Odisha. Authorities said the initiative will help create reliable, sustainable and user-friendly transport facilities while ensuring better revenue generation and safeguarding public assets.
The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will play a key role in implementation and management of the scheme. A bipartite agreement will also be signed between OSRTC and selected facility management service (FMS) agencies for operation and maintenance of bus stands under the scheme.
Bus stands under the initiative will be categorised into ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ classes depending on transport demand and passenger traffic. Revenues generated from the bus stands and related activities will be retained by OSRTC and utilised for infrastructure development and operational purposes.