AC buses at a terminal in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 18: Air-conditioned city buses will shortly have announcements and scrolls regarding stoppages in both Odia and English.

The bus service operator, Dream Team Sahara, has requested the bus manufacturer to include the scroll in Odia for the convenience of the passengers.

“The move will help those who do not know English well,’’ said Ranjit Mohanty, an artist.

Director of municipal administration Sanjib Kumar Mishra said: “There will be announcements in Odia for which a selection process is on by the bus service operator to find a suitable voice.”

Besides, twenty important bus bays and bus stops will also have digital display boards regarding bus routes and their timings.

At present, four AC buses are running in the city, while the authorities have announced plying of such buses in Cuttack and Puri also.

Though the AC buses are equipped with closed-circuit television cameras, these have not been made operational yet.

“The drivers are not interested to learn about the technical things as the driving console has many switches. They are also not showing interest to learn the operational aspect,” said a senior government official.

In another development, the urban development department has decided to extend the CCTV coverage to non-AC buses as well to ensure safety and security of women passengers.

“All buses will be equipped with not only CCTVs, but also global positioning system (GPS) and trekking technology. For this, the state government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore,” Mishra told The Telegraph.

In yet another development, the Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Services Limited, the company looking after the management of city buses, has completed construction of two origin and destination terminals in the city at Chandrasekharpur and Ghatikia.

While the main terminal at Pokhariput has started functioning partially, the two other terminals will help buses to take shelters at the localities.

Two more origin and destination terminals at VSS Nagar and Dumduma will also be constructed shortly. “There are some problems in getting land for the terminals. Once the land is available, we will construct the terminals,’’ said a government official.