Passengers board a city bus in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 27: The state government has identified 27 locations to build new bus terminals to improve transport network in the state.

In the first phase, six terminals will come up at different locations at Baramunda and Master Canteen in Bhubaneswar, Badamabadi in Cuttack, Aintahpalli in Sambalpur, on NH-42 in Angul and at Mahisapat in Dhenkanal. These terminals will be set up in public-private partnership mode.

A decision to set up the terminals was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by chief secretary Bijay Patnaik today.

“Our aim is to provide user-friendly bus-terminals. The new stations will have basic facilities and commercial complexes to meet the growing expectations of people,” said secretary of commerce and transport Gagan Dhal.

Earlier, the state government had favoured the Reliance Group for setting up bus terminals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. “As no progress was made with the Reliance Group, the state has decided to tie up with the ARSS Infra Project Limited for this project. The concessional agreement with the group for construction of the two terminals will be executed by December,” officials said.

The ARSS will pay Rs 52 crore towards lease for a period of 15 years to develop the Baramnuda bus terminus. The complex will come up on an area of 14.43 acres.

While 60 per cent of space will be used for parking vehicles, the remaining area will be used for commercial purposes.

“The developers will build the bus terminals and maintain it for 15 years.

“They will have the right to collect parking fees, advertising revenue and license fees during the concession period,” officials said.

While the ARRS Infra Project Limited will develop the Bhubaneswar (Baramunda bus terminus) and Cuttack bus terminus, P.K. Behera Construction Limited will develop the station in Dhenkanal.

Final decision on other builders would be taken later, officials said.

In the second phase, modern bus depots will come up in Balasore, Bargarh, Baripada, Bhadrak, Keonjhar and Jajpur districts.

In the third phase, the bus terminals will come up at Konark, Barbil, Balangir, Rambha, Jajpur town and Satapad and the facility will be built in Berhampur, Jeypore, Khurda, Nawarangpur, Puri, Paradeep, Rourkela and Rayagada in the fourth phase.