Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday flagged off 227 state-of-the-art buses, 12 ghats, and laid the foundation stone for construction of an inter-state bus terminus.

Seventy-five of these buses have arrived, while the rest are on their way. Nitish said they will be first plied on designated routes and circuits associated with the Prakash Utsav.

The 32-seat buses have been purchased by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) at a cost of Rs 24.7 lakh each.

"All efforts are being made for successfully organising Prakash Utsav. We want visitors to return with fond memories of Bihar. These new buses will be used for providing free service to devotees on the routes and circuits of Prakash Utsav so that they don't face any problems with regard to transportation," Nitish said.

The buses are equipped with CCTV cameras, GPS, push-button alarms attached to passenger seats and doors that allow the bus to move only when they are properly closed. "CCTV cameras and alarm buttons in the bus will instil a sense of security. All safety measures will be taken in these buses," Nitish said flanked by urban development and housing department minister Maheshwar Hazari and transport minister Chandrika Rai.

In a lighter vein, Nitish pointed out that the bus service will not be free forever and tickets will be charged after Prakash Utsav.

He also inaugurated eight bus stands across Bihar and a 1.5-km-long drainage system from SP Verma Road to Mandiri in Patna constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore to check waterlogging.