Jeypore: As many as 20 City buses worth about Rs 5 crore are being scrapped in Jeypore town of Odisha’s Koraput district.
These buses, after becoming non-functional have been sold as scrap.
As per reports, Odisha Government announced Mo Bus services for this district in the year 2014. The budget for this was a little more than Rs 4 crore. In the first phase, 5 buses were sent to Koraput district, followed by 20 more.
Later in 2016, the city bus service was officially started. The buses were plying from Jeypore to Koraput, Borigumma, Kotpad, Kundura, Pattangi, Sunabeda and Similiguda. This bus service was available to almost all blocks.
While the public was happy, the joy was short-lived as the bus service was subsequently stopped.
There were 4 staff members in a bus. Many local young boys and girls had been employed for running the bus service. However, only after a few months the buses needed repair and regular maintenance.
As per the government order, 50% of the operating cost should be borne by the government while the rest 50% by the party operating the buses.
However, it was alleged that the private part, which was supposed to bear the expenses for maintenance of the buses, did not do so after a few months. The 20 buses turned into scrap and were dumped at a terminal, on outskirts of Jeypore.
Many parts of the buses are either broken or its parts stolen by miscreants, the locals claimed and expressed distress over apathy of the local administration towards the initiative.