Malkangiri: In a significant development, the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) on Thursday launched a public bus service in the remote regions of Odisha’s Malkangiri district facilitating road transport for the people in the remote Swabhiman Anchal of the state.
Nabarangpur MP Ramesh Chandra Manjhi and Chitrakonda MLA Purna Chandra Baka flagged off the first Mo Bus service from Malkangiri to Panasput in the district on Thursday morning. Manhji, Baka and local leaders took a bus ride to some distance amid cheers from people as this was the first public bus service in this remote area.
It is worth mentioning here that Malkangiri district is among the districts affected by the Maoist menace. So far, people in the region were virtually cut off from the remaining world owing to a lack of communication facilities. However, with the construction of roads and bridges in recent years, communication has become easier and people who had to make risky launch journeys to their district headquarters can now travel by bus.
A few days back, 5-T Secretary VK Pandian visited the region to learn about the problems faced by the people here. During his visit, locals demanded a bus service from this rural and remote region to the district headquarters. Pandian had promised to fulfill their dreams within 15 days and today a bus ride to and from the region became a reality with the launch of the maiden OSRTC bus service.
