A city bus in Sambalpur on Wednesday. Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, Jan. 29: The city bus service began today with chief minister Naveen Patnaik flagging off a bus at Laxmi Talkies Chhak.

In the first phase, six buses will run in the city, which will shortly become a corporation. Authorities have acquired 32 buses and they will run in public-private partnership mode. The Paschim Odisha Paribahan Company has partnered with the government to run the service here.

Chief executive officer of Western Odisha Urban Transport Service Limited, which is the apex body of the service, Anirudhha Padhan said: “Due to absence of suitable places to keep the buses, we have brought six buses in the first phase. Other buses will join the fleet shortly.”

The buses will run on the Sambalpur-Jharsuguda, Sambalpur-Burla and Sambalpur-Maneswar route. Of the six buses, four will run between Sambalpur and Jharsuguda.

Padhan said the inter-city and intra-city routes had been identified. The buses will run on four routes in Sambalpur city and offer connectivity to Bargarh, Hirakud, Burla and Jharsuguda.

“A long-pending demand was fulfilled today. To commute in the city, residents here had to depend on autorickshaws. They will now get an organised inter-city transport system. Moreover, the journey will be economical,” said local resident Pabitra Mishra.

Another resident Mita Mohanty said: “From a woman’s point of view, the bus ride is safer than travelling in an overloaded auto. Moreover, monopoly of the autorickshaws will end now.”

Naveen also laid foundation stones for a slew of projects that includes double-laning of ring road, high-capacity pumping stations, Ayodhya Sarovar Riverfront Development Project, flyover, ropeway project at Gandhi Minar of Hirakud, infrastructure extension of VSS Medical College and Hospital, hostel building of Sambalpur University.