Odisha allows passenger bus service in Green zone

Odisha government on Monday partially modified its earlier order and allowed plying of buses on both intra-district and inter-district routes in green zone with restrictions, an official tification said.

tification issued by Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said that buses will ply with passengers up to 50 percent of ir seating capacity. "y will ply exclusively within green zone without passing through territory of any red zone or orange zone," it said.

tification furr said that plying of buses within green zone will be subject to fulfilling or statutory requirements such as route permit, registration certificate, fitness certification, pollution under control certification, insurance and ors.

Earlier in day, Odisha Commerce and Transport minister Padmanabha Behera had said that department had submitted a proposal to Chief Ministers Office seeking operation of bus service in green zone. state has about 15,000 passenger buses which are idle since lockdown was imposed in state on March 22.

Though MHA guideline allows running of passenger buses in green zone, Odisha Bus Owners Association has expressed reluctance to run vehicles with 50 percent capacity fearing losses, minister said.

However, minister said, government has been considering some relaxation for bus owners so that y will t sustain loss if y operate vehicle with 50 percent of ir capacity.

He said w buses will run as usual in 16 districts where re is impact of COVID-19 w.

Of 30 districts of Odisha, 16 districts are in green zone while 11 districts are under orange zone and three or districts - Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation have been categorized as red zone.

districts which are in green zone are Angul, Bargarh, Boudh, Sambalpur, Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sonepur, Cuttack and Puri.

Similarly, districts like Khurda (except Bhubaneswar), Sundergarh, Kendrapara, Koraput, Keonjhar, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Bolangir, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi and Ganjam are under orange zone.

(Im - PTI)