Bhubaneswar: Odisha government had launched ‘Biju Gaon Gadi’ scheme in February 2014 to provide accessible and affordable public transport facilities to people living in rural parts of the state. Several of these vehicles, however, have stopped operating which raises fear that the scheme may soon wither away, a source said Thursday.
Regional transport officers (RTOs) have come in the way of this welfare scheme. The support of many RTOs to private bus owners resulted in such a precarious condition, the source added.
Despite buying buses under the ‘Biju Gaon Gadi’ scheme, many have not obtained requisite road permits so far. Most of the public carriers have now ceased plying on the road after incurring heavy losses.
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It is pertinent to mention, the state government had rolled out the ‘Biju Gaon Gadi’ yojana in 118 blocks of 12 districts, in the first phase.
The districts included Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Gajapati, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh.
Subsequently, the scheme covered five more districts such as Boudh, Bolangir, Nuapada, Subarnapur and Deogarh. It was then targeted that the scheme will be extended to the remaining 13 districts.
PNN