Bhubaneswar: Visiting tourist destinations here will become easier with the administration planning to link these places with dedicated bus routes.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and tourism department have started planning the new bus routes. These special routes aim to boost the tourism potential of the state capital.

"The plan to introduce the special bus routes was discussed at a meeting of the three agencies held earlier this month. The new routes will cover major tourist destinations, hotels, important markets and other places of attraction," said an official of the tourism department.

"It will be planned in a manner that people can travel to these places without much hassle," the official added.

At present, 100 city buses are running on 10 different routes in the city.

"The existing routes were planned based on the demand, while the new plan aims to provide easy transport services to the tourists. Our officials have started working on it. The routes will be finalised by March," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

The buses will connect tourist destinations including Nandankanan, Dhauli Peace Pagoda, Khandagiri and Udaygiri, Lingaraj Temple, apart from the several museums, parks and planetarium in the city. At present, tourists have to depend on private transport to visit these places.

"We have to hire private vehicles to take a tour of the city. The service is also very costly. If we have good public transport connecting these tourist spots, we would not opt for private vehicles. The idea is good and should be implemented," said Malipada resident Sushant Mishra, a schoolteacher.

The move comes at a time when the state government has decided to increase the number of city buses to about 300 by November. Sources said the new bus routes are being planned keeping in mind tourist footfall during the Men's Hockey World Cup to be held later this year.

The authorities are also planning to have dedicated routes and corridors for pedestrians near these tourist sites.

"We want to showcase the city's grandeur during the hockey world cup and that requires creation of facilities for the visitors. Besides, the bus routes, there will also be pathways for pedestrians and cyclists," Jena said.