Jeypore: The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will once again operate special Volvo buses to Ayodhya. On the 10th of this month, two OSRTC buses will depart from here, heading towards Prayagraj and Varanasi for the Maha Kumbh event. Additionally, the buses will operate on the 17th and 24th of the month. All tickets for these trips have already been sold out.
According to OSRTC officials, both buses will depart from the new government bus stand premises at 9:05 AM on Monday, the 10th.
The advance ticket booking counter for Ayodhya was scheduled to open today at 2 PM. Upon learning this, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the counter half an hour before it opened. In the presence of DTM Srinibas Panigrahi and other corporation staff, the counter was opened, leading to a rush and competition among eager pilgrims.
Security personnel and town police were deployed to manage the crowd. Offline tickets were distributed equally, with half allocated to Koraput and the other half to Jeypore. However, all tickets were sold within an hour of the counter opening, leading to dissatisfaction among many people. Some pilgrims expressed frustration, stating that Jeypore should have been allocated more tickets compared to Koraput. While those who secured tickets were happy, many others returned disappointed.
As per reports, a second semi-sleeper, 51-seater, multi-axle, air-conditioned Volvo bus has departed from Bhubaneswar for Ayodhya and is expected to reach here on the 9th.
It’s worth noting that after a tragic stampede during the Mauni Amavasya gathering in Prayagraj,