Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The state’s public transportation system saw a major addition with the launch of the Shri Jagannath Express Bus Service by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Under the Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI), the Jagannath Express Buses will travel through Bhubaneswar to link the district headquarters with Srikshetra Puri.
Twelve districts, including Balangir, Bargarh, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada, Sambalpur, and Sundargarh, were included in the first phase of the Jagannath Express Bus Service launch. The Shri Jagannath Express, a fleet of eighty ultra-premium buses, will transport people from thirty districts.
Chief Minister Patnaik declared during the launch event that women’s tickets would only cost 50% of the standard fare. Women who use the LAccMI bus service benefit greatly from the low price of Rs 5 tickets, which is the cost of the tickets. Chief Minister Patnaik underlined the initiative’s goal, saying that the Jagannath Express Bus Service intends to make it easier for state residents to travel to Puri Dham in order to ask Lord Jagannath’s blessings. He also spoke about the Srimandir Parikrama Project, which was inaugurated yesterday and will improve the temple’s aesthetics and promote a more pious environment.
Through programs like Ama Odisha and Nabin Odisha, the Chief Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting and advancing Jagannath culture, particularly in rural areas. Senior officers from several departments, along with Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu, 5T Chairman V Kartik Pandian, MLA Bhupinder Singh, Principal Secretary of the Commerce and Transport Department Usha Padhee, and Development Commissioner Anu Garg, attended the program.
