Cuttack: In a major step, Odisha and Bihar have decided to operate direct bus services passing through Jharkhand on 33 routes covering almost 21867 kilometre.
Transport Department of Odisha and Bihar governments have renewed the agreement to run the bus services.
In the older agreement buses were operating on 15 routes covering a total distance of 9,276 kilometres.
Services on the new and longer routes will boost connectivity of religious, tourists and places of educational importance between two states.
With a new agreement in place, people commuting to Patna, Biharsarif, Deoghar, Gaya, Aurangabad, Darbhanga, Rajgir, Bhagalpur, Buxer, Siwan, Aara, Hajipur, Chapara and Nawada from different parts of Odisha including Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Baripada, Balasore, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Sundergarh and many other places will be majorly benefitted.
Speaking on the agreement, Brajabandhu Bhol, Secretary, State Transport Authority, Odisha said, “As per the new agreement Odisha buses will cover 17611 km in Bihar while Bihar buses will cover 8784 km in Odisha. The buses will ply via Jharkhand covering a distance of 8032 km in the state. This is a big step towards facilitating road transport in the state. The agreement between the transport departments of Bihar and Odisha would also help in strengthening the cultural roots.”
The new inter-state agreement with Bihar will also open the door for new inter-state bus permit.
Bhol further informed, “Around 100 permits and trips will be opened in both the states.”
Talks for similar agreements with West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are in advance stage.
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