Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: In a significant improvement of communication facilities in the state’s rural and remote areas, the government Thursday rolled out 30 buses for four Maoist-affected districts under Biju Gaon Gadi Yojana (BGGY).
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off the buses to Nuapada, Deogarh, Sundargarh and Gajapati districts at a ceremony at the office of Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) here. Transport minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi was also present on the occasion. The new buses will ply on 28 routes in these districts. “These buses will run in remote areas of Nuapada, Deogarh, Sundargarh and Gajapati districts,” said Patnaik after flagging off the buses.
Majhi said the government launched the scheme to provide better connectivity in remote and tribal areas of left wing extremism-hit districts. “The remaining 13 buses would be procured during the 2016-17 fiscal and launched in subsequently,” he added.
Sanjeev Marik, the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of OSRTC, said: “Since the routes are not commercially viable, private players are not interested in plying buses on these routes. Therefore, the government is introducing buses for remote areas, for which OSRTC has incurred losses to the tune of over Rs 1 crore”.
