Berhampur City bus fares to be revised

It has been proposed to revise the rate of tickets of city bus service for greater Berhampur to make it more competitive. The Ganjam Urban Transport Services Limited (GUTSL) which runs this city bus service through the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) proposed to revise the price of tickets to make it competitive with the private operators. Details of this rate revision were discussed at a meeting of the GUTSL held in the city on Tuesday.

The meeting was chaired by Ganjam district collector Prem Chand Choudhary and attended by officials in the GUTSL including its chief executive officer, the Berhampur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ajit Mishra, Mayor K. Madhavi, Berhampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Aniruddha Singh etc.

Speaking to newsmen after meeting the collector said, proposal for revision of ticket rate would be sent for approval to the urban development department of State government. New rates would be implemented as per the approval and recommendation of the urban development department. Mr. Choudhary added that very soon flying squads would be formed to check for ticketless travel. The erring passengers may have to pay up to Rs. 500 as fine. The GUTSL would also procure electronic ticket machines for city buses.

The city bus service for greater Berhampur would be fully functional with 32 buses by end of June. Apart from routes inside Berhampur, this city bus service also runs between Berhampur and Gopalpur, Chatrapur, Hinjili.

The authorities of the GUTSL also held discussions with private passenger vehicle operators on Tuesday in a separate meeting. Majority of private operators are opposing the city bus service as it would hampering their income. But the GUTSL authorities said city bus service had been started by government for benefit of the common man and any attempt to hinder its service would be dealt with strict action. It may be noted that the city bus service from Berhampur railway station is also facing opposition of autorickshaw owners, who feel it would affect their livelihood. Source: The Hindu