Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) on Thursday conducted a lottery to allot shops to beneficiaries at the newly developed Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Bus Terminal (BSABT), one of the largest transport hubs in Odisha.
The event took place at K7 Kalyan Mandap, Kalinga Vihar, in the presence of BDA Secretary Manas Ranjan Padhi.
The lottery process was conducted for the allotment of as many as 112 shops on a monthly rental basis. The beneficiaries were shortlisted based on a detailed survey carried out by the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), which previously managed the old Baramunda bus terminal before the BSABT was built.
The process was conducted transparently, with beneficiaries themselves drawing tokens from a glass box under the supervision of officials. To ensure complete fairness, the lottery was overseen by Independent Observer Purandar Nanda, General Manager of Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited.
Several senior BDA officials were present, including Additional Commissioners Snigdharani Dhal (Administration), Bhabataran Sahu (Town Planning), and Manoj Kumar Swain (Estate-II), along with Joint Commissioner (Enforcement) and Special Officer BSABT, Ranjan Kumar Jena, and Manager Itikanta Mohapatra.
BDA officials highlighted that the allotted shops are well-equipped with uninterrupted power supply, water connections, and round-the-clock security. Beneficiaries will be required to sign an agreement with the BDA before commencing their business operations.
Dr. N. Thirumala Naik, Vice-Chairman of BDA, appealed to the shop owners to uphold high standards of hygiene and customer service. “We request all shop owners to maintain the highest standard of cleanliness and ensure passenger-friendly services. The main focus should always remain on passenger comfort and convenience,” he emphasized.
Spread over 11 acres, BSABT is Odisha’s biggest bus terminal, handling more than 1,500 buses and nearly 20,000 passengers daily. It currently serves both inter-state and intra-state routes, making it a vital transit hub for the state.
