Bhubaneswar: For better operation and management, and to ensure that tourists receive the ultimate benefit, the housing and urban development department has handed over 35 e-buses procured for tourists in Puri to Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT).
The urban development department recently issued a notification officially announcing the transfer of the buses to CRUT from the possession of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri. The department has also constituted a committee to oversee the operational aspects of the buses and ensure the smooth transfer of ownership from SJTA to CRUT. This committee comprises of seven members.
"The operational committee shall be primarily responsible for overseeing the operational aspects of the 35 e-buses, along with the handover and takeover of the buses from SJTA to CRUT, progress of the work, charging infrastructure, and construction of the bus terminal and allied infrastructure at Samanga in Puri," reads the notification issued by the department.
The seven-member committee, which will oversee the operation of the buses according to the notification, is comprised of SJTA's administrator (development), general manager of CRUT, and general manager of the Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation Limited. It will also include the regional transport officer of Puri as a member, along with the deputy superintendent of police, Puri, sub-collector of Puri, and executive officer of Puri Municipality. The notification states that these members will meet from time to time to devise operational plans for the e-buses.
Notably, the 35 e-buses were procured as part of the Srimandira Heritage Corridor Project, but they remained unused due to the absence of operational guidelines and plans. The 25-seater e-buses were intended to ferry tourists from Samanga to Jagannath Ballav Math near Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri.
"Worthy plans were made under the Srimandira Heritage Corridor Project, but many of them failed to deliver the intended outcomes. The administration should have a vision before implementing any plan," Jagat Raiguru, a tourist in Puri, said.