Bhubaneswar: The authorities are delaying execution of the ambitious city bus modernisation plan.

In December last year, Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Services Limited (BPTSL) had come up with a project called the Bhubaneswar City Bus Modernisation Plan under which they planned to revamp the city bus operation with the introduction of more buses and consequently higher frequency service.

One year on, none of these plans has seen the light of day. The number of buses remain the same at around 90 forcing people to opt for other modes of transport such as autorickshaws and cabs.

"There are not enough city buses. Even on the busy Janpath, we have to rely on autorickshaws with drivers often fleecing and harassing us. I don't know how the city is transforming under the ambitious smart city mission. Public transport remains a big problem here," said Unit II resident Sudip Mohanty.

During the people's connect programme held before submitting the smart city proposal to get the opinion from the citizens, public transport was in focus with people asking for its development with introduction of buses on more routes and more buses.

In the Smart City proposal, the administration has decided to spend Rs 442.26 crore on pan city solutions including urban mobility. In order to provide an overall solution for urban mobility, the administration has proposed to connect all the 67 municipal wards with city bus services for which 565 new buses are needed.

Two years have passed since Bhubaneswar topped the Smart City challenge in the country, but not even a single new bus has been introduced.

The situation of the bus terminals and depots remain the same and bus stops across the city are encroached on.

"We are collaborating with many expert agencies to come up with a comprehensive plan to improve the urban mobility. It will be put in place very soon," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, who is also the chairman of the BPTSL.