Bhubaneswar: After ‘Make in Odisha’ conclave and LAccMI, will the new BJP government in Odisha rename ‘Mo Bus’ as ‘Ama Bus’?
Speaking to the media, Housing & Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra said that the word ‘Mo” (My) smacks of arrogance. “Changing the name is no big deal and unlikely to have an impact but no decision has been taken in this regards. As we have been saying this is ama (our) government and we have to jointly work for the progress of the state,” he said while declining to confirm the name change.
Earlier in the day, the minister travelled in ‘Mo Bus’ from Master Canteen to Press Square after purchasing a ticket to understand the “problems of people and what they want”. “They are happy with the convenient, sustainable and safe commuting options. But these buses get overcrowded during rush hours and therefore, they want more buses to run during those periods. The number of buses will be increased based on the need of the citizens. We are checking the situation in various places. The bus service will be provided wherever necessary,” he said.
Mohaptra further informed that 400 e-buses would be added to the fleet of Mo Bus under PM e-Bus Sewa scheme. “Of the 400 buses that are running, 63 are e-buses. All of them will be e-buses in future. There are plans to run 100 of these buses in Bhubaneswar, as many in Cuttack and Rourkela and 50 in Sambalpur.”
The minister was accompanied by Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) Managing Director Arun Bothra. He also held a review meeting with officials at the electric bus depot at Gadakana and emphasised on increasing the frequency of buses on busy routes.
At present CRUT is plying 463 buses on 95 routes in the Capital Region (Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Puri), Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur with average ridership of 2.5 lakhs per day.
Notably, the government has decided to rename Location Accessible Multi-Modal Initiative (LAccMI) bus service as Mukhyamantri Bus Seva, which translates to Chief Minister Bus Service. The buses, originally green, have also been painted orange as was seen at Dhenkanal bus stand on Tuesday.
Also Read: LAccMI Bus Gets New Look With Changed Colour In Odisha’s Dhenkanal; Check Details
On Saturday, Transport minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena said that the bus service will be thoroughly restructured and re-implemented soon without any party symbol.
‘Make in Odisha’ Conclave, which showcases the state’s business potential and manufacturing prowess to the world, is also likely to be rebranded as Utkala Investors Summit.