Amid a statewide bus strike by private bus owners opposing the Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI), Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday inaugurated the affordable transportation scheme in tribal-dominated Gajapati district.?

Patnaik flagged-off the service through video conferencing. "The LAccMi bus service connecting one village with another will strengthen social connect as well as the economy of the state," the chief minister said.

The CM said in the first phase of the scheme, 36 LAccMI buses will ply, connecting 126 gram panchayats and seven blocks in Gajapati with the district headquarters of Parlakhemundi. He said 69 new bus stops have been built while 64 have been renovated.

Patnaik on October 12 had launched the scheme in Malakangiri, where 36 buses started plying on different routes. "More than 1,000 buses will run across the state under this scheme," he said.

After Malkangiri and Gajapati, four other tribal-dominated districts — Nabarangpur, Koraput, Rayagada and Kandhamal — will be covered by this service in the first phase.

-With PTI Input