Odisha: Better Route Planning Need of Hour for LAccMI Buses in Rayagada

Rayagada, Odisha: “We are not saying that this bus should cover every part of our panchayat. It should connect at least the prime locations where education and health facilities are available, so that maximum number of students and patients can make use of it,” says Ishar Majhi (35) of Ashargudi village in Odisha's Rayagada district.

With a three-year (FY 2023-26) budget of Rs 3,178 crore, Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) aims at providing affordable bus services to the people of remote and rural areas, in a bid to strengthen rural connectivity across Odisha. This initiative comes a decade after the Biju Gaon Gadi Yojana, which had a similar mission.

LAccMI was initially launched in Naxal-affected Malkangiri district, before it was extended to the rest 29 districts of the state. The three-tier scheme connects village panchayats to block panchayats (tier 1), block to district headquarters (tier 2), and district to state headquarters (tier 3). Additionally, under tier 3, AC super deluxe Volvo buses named Jagannath Express ply to Puri Jagannath Temple from district headquarters via Bhubaneswar.

Virtually unveiled by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on November 25 last year, LAccMI buses operate in 39 routes across 11 blocks of Rayagada, covering 300 bus stops and helping transport nine lakh people of the tribal-dominated region.

LAccMI bus stop at the panchayat headquarters (Photo - Suresh Kumar Mohapatra, 101Reporters).

Five committees ensure smooth implementation of the project. The district Collector, in his position as the chairperson of district level committee (DLC), in coordination with the block level committee (BLC) headed by block development officer takes a final call on the routes where LAccMI buses would ply, its timings and frequency.

The district administration selects a light commercial vehicle operator to run the service. At present, Gujarat-based Chartered Speed Private Limited operates LAccMI buses across the state. When the operator raises an invoice to BLC, it is forwarded to DLC within seven days of its receipt. The DLC then makes payment to the operator from the funds it received from Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC).

LAccMI service is not available at Chiti Serama, Badahuma, LL Pur and Pangana Padar in Sana Huma village panchayat of Gudari block. “The scheme was launched urgently with a mission to grab the attention of rural voters, but it failed to make a mark. To reach the nearest LAccMI bus stop, one has to travel over 5 km,” claimed Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha local leader Anant Narayan Deo. He suggested that the bus route in Sana Huma panchayat should take the Pangana Padar-LL Pur-Chiti Serama-Badahuma route.

On the lack of a proper route planning, Sana Huma panchayat’s former sarpanch and senior BJP leader Sambara Sabar said that routes can be planned better if sarpanches of village panchayats were part of the route finalisation process.  

Odi Dhabaleswar, a social worker from Bahupadar in Padmapur block of Rayagada, claimed that service is stopped for many days when a bus is under repair.

Though Chartered Speed carries out minor repairs locally, the spare parts of buses have to be moved to the state headquarters or to Chartered  Speed's maintenance division outside the state for some major repairs. As a result, sometimes, buses are not available for over a month.

“The LAccMI service should run from Mardiguda Junction via Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya located at Bahupadar and Jatili to Padmapur, facilitating access to thousands of students,” said Majhi Venu Gopal Rao, a Congress leader from Padmapur. Padmapur has only one homoeopathic dispensary at Perupanga in Akhusingi panchayat, which is 5 km from the LAccMI bus stop.  

The route from Khilamunda to Soura Singipur is the lifeline of tribal people as Akhyar Brahma Tirtha Khetra (Mattar Bannam Temple), a major cultural monument of tribal community, is at Marichaguda. The demand is to provide a bus route from Khilamunda junction to Perupanga and Soura Singipur via Marichaguda to Padmapur. “This way, the area’s rich culture can also be promoted," said researcher and poet Rupesh Kumar Sahu of Padmapur.

Better route planning needed for LAccMI buses (Photo - Suresh Kumar Mohapatra, 101Reporters).

Soumya Mishra, the OSRTC Rayagada District Manager dealing with LAccMI bus service, told 101Reporters that changing bus routes was a complex process and not within their direct control. “We have already communicated with OSRTC through BLCs to propose changes or extensions to the routes, based on public demand. OSRTC will discuss these suggestions with the bus operator,” the official explained.

Asked about approving routes linking educational institutions and health centres, Mishra informed that some more routes will be discussed at the DLC meeting and the decision will be communicated to OSRTC.

At the same time, Mishra added, “It is impossible to run buses beyond the allotted kilometres in any area. We have a limited number of buses to cover all the important locations within panchayats. To reach all inaccessible locations, we require more buses.”

Currently, Rayagada has 39 buses running in different routes and additional two buses on reserve. As many as 12 women self-help group (SHG) members are employed as LAccMI bus conductors. The block level federation, an SHG-centric organisation, provides manpower for Rayagada block. In other blocks, drivers and conductors are appointed by Perry Green, a third party service provider.

"Earlier, I had to struggle to feed my three-member family. Educating my two children was a big burden. Due to LAccMI, all that has changed. Now, I am able to manage the basic requirements of my family. Not only that, my dream of purchasing a scooty has come true," said one of the women SHG members employed by LAccMI service, wishing anonymity. A bus conductor under LAccMI earns Rs 14,500 per month.

Women, students and physically challenged can take LAccMI buses for a flat price (irrespective of the distance travelled) for Rs 5 for block connectivity and Rs 10 for district connectivity buses. “Thanks to the LAccMI bus, I visited Lord Jagannath’s shrine. The fare was low and the bus was air conditioned. This is the first time I am boarding an AC bus. I can now visit Puri alone, without the family accompanying me, as Jagannath Express staff are very cooperative,” beamed Usharani Sahu (61) from Akhusingi panchayat.

(Suresh Kumar Mohapatra is an Odisha-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)