Kotpad 24th January 2025 The state government has responded positively to public demands. Arrangements have been made for the Mahakumbh and Ayodhya Darshan. Starting from the 27th of January, OSRTC (Odisha State Road Transport Corporation) will operate Volvo bus services between Koraput and Ayodhya. By the end of February, five trips will be conducted. For the first trip, 50 tickets have already been booked.
According to available information, the OSRTC 51-seater multi-axle semi-sleeper air-conditioned Volvo bus will operate on the Koraput-Ayodhya route. The route includes Koraput, Jeypore, Nabarangpur, Papadahandi, Umarkote, Raighar, Kanker, Raipur, Ullasapur, Ambikapur, Ranikut, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya. The bus will depart from Koraput at 9:00 AM on the 27th of January from the new government bus stand and reach Nabarangpur at 9:35 AM, staying for 10 minutes. It will then depart Papadahandi at 10:57 AM and Umarkote at 12:02 PM. After a 45-minute lunch break at Raighar, the bus will leave at 1:21 PM.
The following day, it will reach Varanasi at 6:52 AM, Prayagraj at 9:03 AM, and Ayodhya at 12:35 PM. For the return trip, the bus will leave Ayodhya on the 31st at 9:00 AM and follow the same route back, reaching Jeypore at 11:55 AM on February 1st and Koraput at 12:20 PM. The total round trip distance is approximately 1,300 kilometers.
A 50% discount will be offered for women passengers. The ticket prices are yet to be disclosed. The bus will depart from Koraput on January 27, February 2, 10, 17, and 24. On the second day of the trip, passengers will stay overnight in Prayagraj and depart for Ayodhya the next day. After visiting Ayodhya, the bus will return towards Jeypore.
A group of passengers had earlier met the local DTM (Divisional Traffic Manager) regarding the trip to Ayodhya. A devotee mentioned that over 100,000 rupees had been paid in advance for 50 tickets.