Cuttack: The transport departments of Odisha and Bihar renewed the agreement to operate direct bus services passing through Jharkhand on 33 routes covering almost 21,867 kilometres.
According to official sources, the services on the new and longer routes will boost connectivity between religious, tourists and places of educational importance between the two states.
With this new agreement, people commuting to Patna, Biharsarif, Deoghar, Gaya, Aurangabad, Darbhanga, Rajgir, Bhagalpur, Buxer, Siwan, Aara, Hajipur, Chapara, and Nawada from different parts of Odisha including Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Baripada, Balasore, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Sundergarh, and many other places will be majorly benefitted.
“As per the new agreement, Odisha buses will cover 17,611 km in Bihar while Bihar buses will cover 8,784 km in Odisha. The buses will ply via Jharkhand covering a distance of 8,032 km in the state. This is a big step towards facilitating road transport in the state. The agreement between the transport departments of Bihar and Odisha would also help in strengthening the cultural roots,” State Transport
Authority (STA) Secretary Brajabandhu Bhol said.
It is pertinent to mention here that, in the old agreement buses were operating on 15 routes covering a total distance of 9,276 kilometers.
The new inter-state agreement with Bihar will also open the door for a new inter-state bus permit. Bhol further informed, “Around 100 permits and trips will be opened in both the states.”
Notably, discussions for similar agreements with West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are in an advanced stage.
