Orissa Tourism launches Hop on Hop Off bus service

Bhubaneswar, Aug 4 (UNI) The Orissa Tourism Department today launched an air-conditioned tourist sightseeing bus service on Private Public Partnership mode in the capital city.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the service, christened ' Hop-on-Hop-Off' in presence of tourism minister Devi Prasad Mishra at a function here. They claimed this was for the first time in the country that such a service was introduced.

Orissa Tourism Department had provided five AC Tata Globus and eight tempo travellers to operate in pre-determined circuitous routes touching designated spots at regular intervals.

The operation and management of the buses had been given out on PPP mode for five years to a private travel on an annual royalty plus profit sharing basis.

The bus service would ply in two circuitous routes. While one route would cover major heritage sites like state museum, Rajarani, Brahmeswar, Megheswar, Siridi Sai, Kedar Gouri, Mukteswar, Vaital, Dhauli, Lingaraj, Bindusagar, Laxmaneswar, Bharateswar, Satrughaneswar and Rajmahal, the other route would touch state museum, Rajmahal, Ram Mandir, Ekram Haat, Nicco Park, Tribal Museum, Khandgiri and Udaygiri, Cactus garden, Fortune tower, Nandan Kanan, Planetarium and Station square.

Arrangement for live and taped commentary is being made during the tours along with detail information brochure for the convenience of the tourists.

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