Bhubaneswar: Odisha government on Sunday decided to change the route to bring Prabasi Odias from Surat who are stranded in different parts of the country due to COVID-19 lockdown.
The move comes in the wake of two accidents in Kandhamal district involving buses engaged in transporting Prabasi Odias from Surat in Gujarat in less than 24 hours.
Informing the decision to change the bus route, Odisha Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera said, “We are deciding to change the route as drivers from other States are not used to negotiate ghats like in Phulbani,” said Behera.
As per the decision, the buses from other States ferrying Prabasi Odias will be allowed to use Boudh-Charichaka- Madhapur-Nayagarh-Odagaon to reach Ganjam.
Sources said most of the drivers from other States are mostly used to drive on plain routes and they are finding it difficult to negotiate with the steep turn at Kalinga ghat and other places.
“We have no option other than to change the route. Already RTO has been asked to investigate the road mishaps and the officials are also demanding for changing the route,” Behera added.
At least three passengers were injured after a bus ferrying people of Odisha from Surat met with an accident near Kalinga Ghat in Kandhamal district today. A rescue operation was subsequently launched by police and fire services department.
This was for the second time that a bus ferrying Prabasi Odias met with an accident in the State.
Earlier, a bus ferrying Odia workers from Surat met with an accident near Andharkote at Kalinga Ghat on Kandhamal-Ganjam border of the State on Saturday. At least two persons were killed in the mishap.
In another incident, five persons were injured after the bus ferrying migrants from Surat to Odisha’s Ganjam district overturned near Karanja on Nagpur-Amravati National Highway (NH) in Maharashtra today. The bus reportedly carrying around 50 Prabasi Odias had left Surat on Friday.