Nabarangpur: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several developmental projects under the Department of Commerce and Transport. The program, organized at Lok Seva Bhawan, saw the Chief Minister launching eight new bus routes under the Shri Jagannath Express, along with laying the foundation stone for automated driving test facilities at 21 locations across the state.
The Chief Minister also unveiled the logo and mascot for “Zero Accident Day.” The new routes of the Shri Jagannath Express now include Nabarangpur district. Notably, a new premium Volvo bus service with complete air-conditioning from Raighar in Nabarangpur district to Hyderabad was virtually inaugurated by the Chief Minister.
During the virtual launch ceremony held at the premises of the Nabarangpur Collectorate, District Collector Dr. Subhankar Mahapatra attended the meeting and participated in the ritual worship of the new bus. This bus service will depart daily at 4:30 PM from Umerkote and travel via Nabarangpur, Jeypore, Malkangiri, Motu, Bhadrachalam, and Khammam, reaching Hyderabad by around 5 AM the next morning. This information was shared by Santosh Kumar Nayak, District Manager of Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), Nabarangpur.
Nayak also stated that women passengers will receive a 50% concession on ticket fares. The event was also attended by Additional District Magistrate Tapan Kumar Khuntia, District Development Officer and CEO of District Council, Additional Superintendent of Police Batakrishna Mishra, Regional Transport Officer Jitendra Kumar Bhoi, Electrical Engineer Ashok Kumar Raut, Deputy Collector Jyotirani Rath, District Information and Public Relations Officer Manoj Kumar Behera, Executive Officer of the Municipality Samaresh Mahanti, Emergency Branch Officer S.O. Balaji Sahu, among other dignitaries.
The Shri Jagannath Express will cover a distance of 752 kilometers from Raighar to Hyderabad in a well-equipped air-conditioned bus with 42 seats. Passengers can book tickets through the “NoriNori Online” platform. The online ticket price for men is ₹1650, while for women, with the 50% concession, it is ₹861.
Since there were no direct government bus services from Raighar to Hyderabad earlier, this new service allows individuals to safely travel with their families to Hyderabad and return conveniently by bus. Chief Minister Majhi emphasized this benefit during the virtual event.