Odisha train accident: Pre-booked bus tickets to be refunded for Kolkata-bound stranded passengers

Passengers who had pre-booked bus tickets online with the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation before the Odisha government announced free bus services for stranded passengers at Puri, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar can receive refunds at the bus stop by presenting their tickets to RTO officials present there.

Private bus services between Kolkata and Odisha (Bhubaneswar and Cuttack) are also supporting the initiative. Tapan Banerjee, the general secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, stated that they would always support the noble cause of providing free services from Kolkata for stranded passengers, if offered by the West Bengal government, as over 200 private bus services operate daily between the two destinations.

The Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, announced the provision of free bus services on Sunday to help people from Kolkata who were unable to return home due to train cancellations.

Approximately 50 buses will travel from Puri, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar to Kolkata daily, with the expenses being covered by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF). The free bus services will continue until normal train services are restored on the Balasore route.