Odisha yet to take call on resuming inter-state buses

Bhubaneswar: State commerce and transport minister Padmanabha Behera on Saturday said the state government is yet to take any decision on resuming inter-state bus services even as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has requested to allow point-to-point (non-stop) bus services between the two states.
“So far, we haven’t discussed the matter with any other states on resuming inter-state bus services. Only a few letters were exchanged. When there is no passenger demand, why should we initiate the process to resume services?” Behera told reporters here.
Based on the guidelines of the Union ministry of home affairs, the state government on May 18 had allowed inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses with mutual consent of the states.
Though the state commerce and transport department sought views of all neighbouring states to resume inter-state bus operations, it is yet to receive any response so far from any other state.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Nilam Sawhney, in a recent letter to Odisha chief secretary Asit Tripathy, said the Andhra Pradesh government does not have any objection if point-to-point buses are operated by state transport undertakings and other authorised operators with prior intimation. The AP chief secretary also sought permission of the Odisha government for operation of inter-state bus operations at the earliest.
“On the letter of Andhra Pradesh chief secretary, we have sought views of the state transport commissioner and OSRTC authorities. We will take a call based on their suggestions,” said a senior transport department official.
The transport minister also expressed concern over low passenger turnout on certain routes within the state in which the state-owned Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) has started operations. He said the private operators are also facing similar problem of low footfall on many routes.
The OSRTC recently resumed services on 66 routes across the state. “Yesterday I came to know that the passenger turnout on as many as 20 routes was negligible with a maximum of five passengers. If this would continue for next few days, we will be forced to stop the operations on those routes,” said Behera, adding it is not possible to continue bus operations with very low footfall.
The OSRTC with 440 buses resumed services from June 8 on 66 routes with 96 buses connecting 22 towns with the state capital.
A source in the All Odisha Private Bus Owners Association also said barring a few routes, the passenger turnout is very low on many routes. The private bus services in Odisha resumed services from May 28 after the lockdown.