Bhubaneswar: A day after opening the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa or the Temple Heritage Corridor in Puri, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday launched Shree Jagannath Express bus service to facilitate transportation of people from all districts of Odisha to the holy town.
The objective is to ensure seamless Shree Jagannath ‘Darshan’ of the sibling deity- Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath in the 12th-century shrine in Puri. The buses will operate under the state’s flagship Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI).
As many as 80 Sleeper Delux buses with AC facility, will operate from all the 30 districts for transportation of people to Puri via Bhubaneswar. This is part of the state government’s plan to mobilise around 10,000 people daily for a month to visit Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa – a Rs 800-crore heritage corridor around Puri’s Jagannath Temple.
In the first phase, the buses will run from 12 district headquarters of Bolangir, Bargarh, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Kalahandi, Malkangir, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sundargarh. Later, it will be extended to all 30 districts. These buses will have a stoppage at Bhubaneswar, an official said.
After launching Shree Jagannath Express, Patnaik said in order to facilitate the women to visit Puri, they will get a 50 per cent bus fare discount.
The chief minister said that Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa has been opened with all necessary facilities for the devotees and the bus service will further facilitate people to visit Puri and have darshan of the deities.
Patnaik also said that the state government has taken several measures for the protection and promotion of Jagannath culture in every village. The Jagannath bus service is a step in this regard, he said.
PTI