A private bus in Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Dec. 13: The city bus service has failed to start here as no private operator has come forward to run it.

Though the authorities have purchase 20 of 32 buses needed for the service, the city is yet to have a bus terminal to keep the vehicles parked.

“We have taken steps to build the bus terminus at Haldiapadar on the outskirts of Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chatrapur,” said district collector Krishen Kumar.

The Berhampur Development Authority would provide Rs 12.63 crore for the purpose and tenders will be floated within a fortnight for Haldiapadar terminus and within a week for Gopalpur and Chatrapur bus terminuses.

The collector has asked the development authority to hand over the amount to the roads and building division of the public works department.

While 4.5 acres have been earmarked for the Haldiapadar terminus, it is 1.5 acres for Gopalpur and 2.46 acres for Chatrapur, sources said.

Commissioner of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation Ajit Kumar Mishra said the private partner for the project had not yet been finalised.

“Though an expression of interest was floated to select the private party to operate the service, nobody has come forward. We have again asked agencies and it is expected to be finalised after December 27,” he said.

However, working president of the Ganjam District Private Bus Owners’ Association Uma Kanta Das said though the Ganjam collector had asked affluent bus owners to operate the service, they were unable to meet the requirements.

“One has to deposit Rs 1.80 lakh each for 32 buses. Again, Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 will be spent towards insurance and registration. It requires Rs 3 crore to Rs 4 crore of investment,” said Das.

The development authority is taking up the project in pubic-private-partnership mode.

Thirty-two buses will be procured in the first phase and 20 buses have already been purchased and are parked in Bhubaneswar.

The service was expected to be materialised earlier and the authority announced several expected datelines. But, due to several reasons it has been delayed to utter disappointment of residents of these areas.

The city bus service would be made available to the people at a frequency of every half-an-hour starting from 6am up to 10pm everyday. Local police, PWD wing and members of the committee will determine the designated halt-posts or authorised stoppages jointly.

The government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore and formed a special purpose vehicle for facilitating the much-awaited transport project.

Ganjam Urban Transport Services Limited, the special purpose vehicle, has been formed under the chairmanship of the district collector.