Bhubaneswar: The state government finds itself in a race against time to overhaul public transport system here with the Men's Hockey World Cup barely three months away. The government had planned to overhaul public transport with additional city buses, development of inter-state bus terminus at Baramunda and improvement and setting up of shelters.

Most of these facilities are much required ahead of the world cup at Kalinga Stadium in November.

The authorities are yet to obtain a final approval for the inter-state bus terminus in the absence of no-objection certificates from various agencies. This has put the project on hold. The authorities are also finding it difficult to find an executor for the shelter project.

"We have approached the airport authorities, fire services department and the forest and environment department for no-objection certificates. It will reach us within a month. We also made some corrections in the tender papers for the shelters and are considering an agency," said a development department official.

Bhubaneswar has 100 bus shelters and the authorities plan to set up a hundred more. However, in absence of proper maintenance, even the existing shelters are lying in neglect. Some facilities face encroachment problems, while a few others are in a dilapidated state and need repair.

"The shelters are here for namesake. It only comes into use as rain shelters. On the whole, public transport needs attention. Private cabs and auto-rickshaws have monopolised services in its absence," said GGP Colony resident Asit Sahani.

The authorities, with approval from chief minister Naveen Patnaik, had in January restructured the Bhubaneswar-Puri Transport Service Limited into the Capital Region Urban Transport by including Cuttack, Puri and Konark under its ambit. The exercise aimed at adding more power to urban mobility.

In order to execute the plan, the authorities invited proposals for a consultant to take up the restructuring job. "The process is nearing completion. The agency will be selected in a month," said a Bhubaneswar Development Authority official.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said there were a few major urban mobility projects that needed to be executed in phases. "We are getting things done and will add the new buses on time. The shelters will also be overhauled before deadline," he said.