Bhubaneswar, Jan. 11: The administration wants city buses to move on the streets without leaving behind a cloud of polluting smoke.

The Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited (BPTSL), which runs the city bus service here, envisages modernising the service by using compressed natural gas (CNG) and battery-operated hybrid vehicles.

BPTSL, in association with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar, has conducted a study of the city bus network here.

The report suggests that in the past four years, maintenance of buses has become a problem. This is keeping several BPTSL buses off the roads. As a result, private buses have again proliferated across the city.

The city's public transport network is not environment friendly and depends on diesel. Autorickshaws, too, run on diesel. This has contributed to deteriorating air quality. BPTSL sources said the plan to modernise bus service would emphasise on use of CNG and battery-operated hybrid buses. A consultant will be hired to present a detailed project report within six months. If all goes according to plan, at least 100 such buses will roll out by year end.

Vehicular emissions are the main source of air pollution in the city. According to records, the city has alarming levels of suspended particulate matters (SPM) in the air. According to prescribed standard, SPM shouldn't exceed 100 micro gram per cubic metre, but samples taken by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board show that SPM levels have been between 180 and 200 micro gram per cubic metre on an average till last November.

H.B. Panigrahi, senior environment scientist and regional officer of the pollution control board, said the SPM level in the city's air was on the rise and vehicular emission was the major contributor.

Of the green buses, some will run on CNG and others on electricity stored in batteries. BPTSL also envisages green modern bus terminals across the city that will use renewable sources of energy.

"In its detailed project report, the consultant will suggest the best option for Bhubaneswar," said a BPTSL official. He said the fare structure of the city bus service, too, would be revamped. "As the buses will no longer use diesel, the fares will drop," he said.

Mayor Anant Narayan Jena welcomed the move and said the civic body would extend co-operation to introduce clean public transport system.

He added that BPTSL's plan would contribute significantly to realising Bhubaneswar's smart city dream. The smart city plan includes procuring 400 buses. Funding for the green buses will come partly from Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited and the rest from BPTSL's own corpus.