Bhubaneswar: The state government on Sunday restricted the plying of passenger buses to the Dhauli hilltop and started a shuttle bus service on the route.

Six 26-seat buses were introduced on Sunday to take visitors up to the peace pagoda and bring them back. Tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda flagged off the bus service.

Tourism director Nitin Bhanudas Jawale said the service had been started for the safety of visitors. "Plying of big buses was dangerous due to the gradient of the hill. Several accidents involving passenger buses have taken place in the recent past. This is why we decided to introduce the service. One shuttle bus will be available every 15 minutes. The service will also decongest the hilltop," he said.

In January last year, more than 30 tourists, including four children from Bengal, were injured when a tourist bus had skidded while descending from the hill. In February 2012, four persons were killed and 30 injured when a tourist bus skidded off road and fell into a gorge at the Dhauli Hills. In October 2014, one tourist had died and 30 were injured when a tourist bus had overturned while coming down the hills.

The peace pagoda a major tourist attraction in Bhubaneswar with around 3,000 tourists visiting it every day. Between 25 and 30 buses plied on the route depending on the number of tourists.

A transport department officials said the road was extremely dangerous for large buses.

"It is a steep road and the chances of break failure are more for big buses because of their weight," said a transport official.

The tourism department is not stopping mini buses ferrying visitors to the hilltop. A tourism official said visitors have to pay Rs 10 per person to use the shuttle bus service.

"The tourists buses will be parked near the parking lot near the tourist complex in the foothills. The area cal accommodate 50 buses at a time," said the official.