Inaugurating the app, Anu Garg, Development Commissioner and Chairman of CRUT said, “The new improved app will ensure ease of travel and empower the commuters to know the live arrival time of their bus and see real-time bus occupancy. This will help the citizens plan their travel accordingly.”

The new ‘CRUT MO BUS’ app is available on Android as well as IOS. Commuters can find the cheapest and fastest trip options and buy a mobile bus pass directly through the app.

To further facilitate cashless transaction, Garg announced special offer for Tap & Pay Mo Bus card. “A commuter will get 40% extra on top up of Rs 500 and 50% extra on top up of Rs 1000 excluding the cost of the card,” she said.

The offer is valid in Capital Region as well as Rourkela for a month starting from March 1.

The new app will have the following features:

Live bus tracking
Estimated time of arrival
Real-time bus occupancy
Online ticketing & pass purchase
Buses nearby

Commuters can tap the Mo Bus card on the ticketing machine of the guide (conductor) and the ticket will be issued. Due to the use of this card, people will not be facing the issue of change and dues. The commuters can buy this card from the Guide in the bus. The cards are also available in the Master Canteen bus terminal and CRUT office in Patia, Bhubaneswar.

In Rourkela, the commuters can buy the card from Mo Bus counter in the city bus stand. In Cuttack, the passes will be available at CNBT. CRUT will also put up kiosk across the Capital Region and Rourkela to sell these cards.

G Mathi Vathanan, Principal Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department said, “The new mobile app and Mo Bus card promotional offer will further facilitate digital payment and ensure seamless travel for the commuters.”

Arun Bothra, Managing Director, CRUT said, “The move is aimed at improving contactless payment and also
to make the Mo Bus journey more enjoyable, hassle free and at par with the best bus services in the world.

Daringbadi, G Udayagiri and Phulbani, all in Kandhamal district, recorded 8.5, 9.4 and 10 degree Celsius respectively, followed by Keonjhar at 10.3 degree Celsius, Ranital in Bhadrak at 10.6 degree Celsius, Semiliguda in Koraput at 10.7, Kirei in Sundargarh at 10.7 degree Celsius and Angul at 11 degree Celsius.

The twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar recorded 14.5 and 16 degree Celsius, respectively.

According to the weather agency, very dense fog engulfed Rourkela this morning, restricting visibility to 50 metres. Phulbani, Koraput, Sonepur, Cuttack and Nayagarh also witnessed dense fog. Shallow and moderate fog was seen in Bhawanipatna and Keonjhar.

The Met office has issued yellow warning of dense fog for 2 more days.

From 8.30 am on January 4 till 8.30 am on January 5

Dense fog may occur at one or two places in Angul, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Khurda, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput, Sonepur, Balangir, Sambalpur and Boudh districts.

Shallow to moderate fog is also likely at a few places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Khurda, Puri, Angul, Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput and one or two places in rest districts of Odisha.

From 8.30 am on January 5 till 8.30 am on January 6

Dense fog is also likely at one or two places in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Khurda, Puri, Angul, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput,Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, and Nayagarh districts.

Shallow to moderate fog is also likely at a few places in Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Puri, Nayagarh and at one or two places in Interior Odisha.

It has also forecast light or thundershower at a few places for two days.

January 5

Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj

January 6

Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj

Dry weather will prevail thereafter. There will also be no change in the minimum temperature during the next 5 days when it is expected to remain 2 to 3 degree Celsius above many places in the state, it added.

DSP Anil Pradhan told the media that the businessman, identified as Pradeep Kumar Soni of Basanti Colony in the city, had gone to Kolkata and returned to Rourkela by train in wee hours of the day. One of his friends had come to the railway station to pick him up.

While both of them were going on a scooty, the unidentified miscreants intercepted them near Railway Colony under Plant Site police station. The miscreants attacked them with a knife and snatched Pradeep’s bag containing the ornaments.

The locals admitted Pradeep and his friend, who had sustained injuries in the attack, in a hospital.

On being informed, police went to the spot and started investigation, the DSP said.

the Judges of the High Court of Orissa. District Judges and judicial officers of the state joined the event through virtual mode.

Speaking at the inaugural function on virtual mode, Justice Sarangi said the Fast Track Special Court aims at expediting delivery of justice in cases involving POCSO offences and crime against women.

He hoped that the new Fast Track Special Court of Rourkela would fulfil the objective and deliver timely and effective justice. He urged the retired Presiding Officer of the new Fast Track Special Court to work towards fulfilling the expectations of the litigants waiting in courts for justice.

Justice Krushna Ram Mohapatra, the Administrative Judge of Sundergarh Judgeship also urged the judicial officers posted in the Fast Track Special Courts to rise to the occasion and meet the aspirations of litigants.

Taking suo motu cognisance of surge in crimes against women and children, the Supreme Court had issued guidelines to ensure expeditious dispensation of justice in such cases. Accordingly, the Centre and the state government formulated a scheme for establishing special courts for fast tracking the cases under POCSO Act and crimes against women.

Under the scheme, 20 Fast Track Special Courts have already been inaugurated in the district headquarters. Rourkela has become the first outlying station to have a Fast Track Special Court.

DCP-rank officer Banita Majhi will conduct the investigation, the SP said.

This came two days after members of Sundargarh Adivasi Mach, a tribal outfit, gheraoed the office of the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) here demanding CBI probe into the incident. Sushmita was found dead in a pond of newly-constructed Sensory Park here on September 19 evening. The outfit also demanded the arrest of Sundargarh Collector and Rourkela ADM, holding them responsible for her death.

While claiming that she was depressed due to intense workplace pressure, her brother Sandip had also sought an investigation into the role of Sundargarh Collector, Rourkela ADM, Gurundia block development officer (BDO), Gurundia child development project officer and a woman sub-inspector in her death.

Sushmita’s family also alleged that the police in cahoots with the doctors had prepared a fake postmortem report to conceal the real cause of her death.

Notably, the postmortem report of the 35-year-old officer had ruled out homicide and police had been investigating other possible angles of suicide, abetment to suicide and accidental drowning in connection with her death.

Sources identified him as Debamalya Roy Karmakar, a native of Tripura. He was a Electronics and Communication Engineering student. It is being suspected that he died by suicide though the exact reason which prompted him to take the extreme step is yet to be ascertained.

Speaking to Odisha Bytes, NIT-Rourkela Registrar Rohan Dhiman said that the student was alone in the room since his roommate had left for his hometown in Sambalpur. “His parents were constantly in touch with him and they informed the authorities when he did not take their call this morning. The door had to be forced open. Police have reached the spot and they are waiting for the forensic team to arrive,” he said, adding that further details will be known later.

According to sources, the airline will modify the flight schedule of its ATR-72 aircraft, currently operating on Rourkela-Bhubaneswar route, to cater to Rourkela-Kolkata route. While the normal operation of the ATR-72 of AA on Rourkela-Bhubaneswar route would continue for seven days in a week, the ATR-72 is likely to operate between Rourkela and Kolkata via Bhubaneswar on three days in a week. The flight duration between Rourkela and Kolkata will be of around 1 hour 30 minutes.

The flight will depart from Kolkata at 11.40 am and land at Rourkela at 1.10 pm. It will take off from Bhubaneswar at 1.35 pm and arrive at 2.30 pm. After a 25 minutes halt, the aircraft will depart from Bhubaneswar at 2.55 pm, reach Rourkela at 3.50 pm. It will then leave Rourkela at 4.15 pm and reach Kolkata at 5.45pm where it will halt for the night.

In the opposite direction, the aircraft will depart from Kolkata at 1.10 pm and reach Bhubaneswar at 2.40 pm. It will then fly from Bhubaneswar at 3.05 pm and arrive in Rourkela at 4 pm. It will then depart from Rourkela at 4.25 pm and reach Bhubaneswar at 5.20 pm and fly back to Kolkata at 5.45 pm and reach there at 7.15 pm for night halt.

The only ATR-72 of the AA, which operates daily now, has a hectic schedule of at least eight long journeys originating from Kolkata to Aizawl, return to Kolkata and then flies to Jharsuguda. From Jharsuguda it goes to Bhubaneswar and then to Rourkela. From Rourkela it reaches Bhubaneswar and returns to Jharsuguda for taking the last flight of the day to Kolkata.

In January, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had flagged off the Bhubaneswar-Rourkela flight from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) while Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the event over the virtual mode. Alliance Air’s 72-seater aircraft then operated daily between Bhubaneswar and the Steel City from January 12 ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup, making it the fourth place in the state with air connectivity with Bhubaneswar.

Earlier in December 2022, Scindiahad announced in Parliament that in the fourth round of special bidding under RCS-UDAN the Big Charters was appointed as the Selected Airline Operation (SAO) for the Rourkela-Kolkata route and it would fly a 19-seater aircraft from February.

This will bring convenience and affordable public transit system for the residents in the mining district. The CRUT Board has also announced several transformative decisions aimed at fostering a more efficient and environmentally conscious urban transport system.

In alignment with recently announced PM e-Bus Sewa Scheme, CRUT envisions plying e-bus service in key locations across Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Keonjhar and Sambalpur. This strategic move not only emphasises CRUT’s commitment towards environmental responsibility but also places Odisha at the forefront in embracing innovative and eco-friendly transportation alternatives.

To complement these groundbreaking initiatives, CRUT has outlined a comprehensive infrastructure development plan. Key infrastructure development projects include the construction of a modern Bus Depot at Naraj in Cuttack, a dedicated EV Depot at Gadakana and a State-of-the-Art Bus Depot at Pokhariput in Bhubaneswar.

Further, CRUT envisions the creation of an Electric Charging Station at OD Terminal Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar, as well as the establishment of OD Terminals at strategic locations such as Chatrapur, Gopalpur and Haladipadar in Ganjam; and in Modipada and Ainthapalli in Sambalpur. Addressing the need for revitalized facilities, CRUT has allocated resources for the repair, renovation and improvement of the existing Bus Terminal at Master Canteen in Bhubaneswar. These infrastructure initiatives and upgrades are expected to significantly elevate the travel experience for citizens.

Among the other members of the board of directors, Principal Secretary of H&UD G. Mathi Vathanan, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Police Commissioner Soumendra Priyadarshi, Managing Director of CRUT Arun Bothra, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Bhubaneswar Development Authority VC and MD, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited Balwant Singh, Cuttack Municipal Corporation Commissioner and CDA Vice Chairman Nikhil Pawan Kalyan, Collectors of Sambalpur and Jharsuguda, Ganjam & Kendujhar were present.