Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Under the direction of Housing & Urban Development Minister Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, a thorough review meeting on the current and future projects of the Comprehensive Regional Urban Transport (CRUT) was held today to evaluate the state of road safety initiatives, infrastructure development, urban mobility expansion, and institutional strengthening being carried out throughout Odisha.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the progress of CRUT’s Phase-I expansion plan covering Keonjhar, Baripada, Angul, Jharsuguda and Balasore, while also discussing the roadmap for Phase-II expansion in Jajpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Bhadrak and Balangir. It was informed that ridership in the newly launched electric bus services in Keonjhar has been steadily increasing and currently stands at nearly 1,300 passengers per day.
The Minister discussed the roadmap for Phase-II growth in Jajpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Bhadrak, and Balangir at the meeting, as well as the status of CRUT’s Phase-I expansion plan, which covers Keonjhar, Baripada, Angul, Jharsuguda, and Balasore. It was reported that the number of passengers using Keonjhar’s recently introduced electric bus services has been rising rapidly and is presently close to 1,300 per day.
The Minister reviewed ongoing efforts relating to advertisement rights on buses, bus queue shelters, bus poles and depot-linked commercial infrastructure. It was informed that CRUT’s non-fare box revenue contribution has increased to 22.05% in 2025 through systematic commercialisation measures. The Minister further directed that all upcoming depots and transport infrastructure should be developed with integrated commercial utilisation models to create sustainable revenue streams for urban transport services.
The Minister examined current initiatives concerning bus advertising rights, bus wait shelters, bus poles, and commercial infrastructure connected to depots. It was reported that via methodical commercialization efforts, CRUT’s non-fare box income contribution rose to 22.05% in 2025. In order to provide sustainable income streams for urban transport services, the Minister also mandated that all future depots and transport infrastructure be built with integrated commercial use models.
