Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday launched the much-awaited electric double-decker buses and hop-on hop-off buses in Bhubaneswar.
As per official sources, the Chief Minister flagged-off five electric double-decker buses and 10 hop-on hop-off buses at the Mo Bus depot at Gadakana in the capital city. The new bus services are aimed at improving connectivity within Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri.
The CM also launched five e-buses belonging to the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration (SJTA). A total of 25 e-busses will be used by the SJTA in the pilgrim town Puri.
While the double-decker buses will ply from Bhubaneswar-Cuttack to Puri for the NRIs attending the mega event, hop-on hop-off buses will ply in Bhubaneswar.
Similarly, SJTA buses will run in Puri only. The introduction of electric buses will provide an environment-friendly travel alternative in the pilgrim town. These buses are restricted to intra-city routes alone, showing a commitment to reducing the carbon footprint while improving local commuting options.
The bus launch event was attended by several dignitaries, including Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, and Bhubaneswar Ekamra MLA Babu Singh.
Apart from flagging-off the new buses, the Chief Minister and other guests also travelled in one of the double-decker buses up to Janata Maidan.
All these buses will be used during the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event, which is slated to begin in Bhubaneswar from Wednesday.
