City bus service in Bhubaneswar and Puri within a month

After a long wait, the Bus Rapid Transit System in the city is going to be a reality within 30 days. A total of 125 buses, including 100 in Bhubaneswar and 25 in Puri, will be operational for the benefit of the commuters who have always rued the lack of a public transport system in and around the city.

"The City Bus Service will be a reality in Bhubaneswar and Puri within a month. This service is being operationalized on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. As per the guidelines of the Union ministry of urban development, a special purpose vehicle called Bhubaneswar Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL) has been created for the operationalization of this service”, Arun Panda, principal secretary (housing & urban development), Orissa government told reporters.

The bus service is being operationalized under the Centre's Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The Centre is bearing 80 per cent of the cost of buses while the remaining 20 per cent is borne by the state government.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today between BPTSL and the city-based DreamTeam Shahara, the operator of the bus service at the state secretariat in the presence of state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The MoU was signed by Nishikant Mishra, chairman of DreamTeam Sahara and Guru Ray, chief executive officer of BPTSL and special secretary (commerce and transport), Orissa government.

As per the pact, DreamTeam Shahara has to pay 20 per cent of the cost of buses as upfront fee, five per cent cost of the buses as performance guarantee, bear the cost of insurance and registration of buses and also the annual maintenance cost of the buses.

The upfront amount of Rs 80 lakh was paid by DreamTeam Shahara to BPTS today.

While both the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation hold 40 per cent equity each in BPTSL, 10 per cent stake is held by Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) and five per cent stake is held each by the Puri-Konark Development Authority and Puri Municipality.

Urban Mass Transit Company Limited (UMTCL), a joint venture between the Union ministry of urban development, Andhra Pradesh government and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has been engaged as the transaction advisor. UMTCL has prepared the details of route planning and stoppages after making a comprehensive study of passenger volume and road network.