BHUBANESWAR: Even as hundreds of Kolkata-bound passengers are stranded in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack owing to the Balasore train tragedy, the state government on Sunday started ferrying them back to the neighbouring state in buses free of cost.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced free bus service for people of Kolkata who are unable to return home due to cancellation of several trains. While the cost of the service will be borne from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the arrangement will continue till restoration of normal train services on Balasore route.
Following the announcement, the State Transport Authority (STA) has arranged nearly 50 buses, both OSRTC and private (with stage carriage permit), to help the stranded passengers reach their destination. The arrangements for the purpose have been made by both STA and private bus associations of the cities following reports of passengers being charged exorbitantly for tickets. The first bus left at around 7.30 pm with 27 passengers from Bhubaneswar.
Officials of STA said passengers who had booked their tickets online prior to the government announcement can get their ticket cost refunded at the bus stand by producing the ticket before RTO officials stationed there.
“We have released helplines which are the phone numbers of private bus associations and RTOs of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar 1 and 2 and Puri. Passengers can contact the numbers if they face any issue during their journey or if they are asked for tickets by anyone on the buses,” an official said. In Bhubaneswar, nearly 30 buses are scheduled to leave for Kolkata by Sunday night.
For passengers who are reaching various railway stations from different states and intend to travel to Balasore and Bhadrak, the government is already running free bus service from Puri, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Jajpur stations.Meanwhile, prices of one-way flight tickets between Bhubaneswar and Kolkata went up on nearly `11,800 for both Sunday and Monday.