Odisha sets up high-level committee to strengthen ‘Ama Bus’ safety norms

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha transport department has constituted a five-member high-level committee to tighten safety norms, improve operational discipline and enhance passenger services under the state-run ‘Ama Bus’ system, officials said on Sunday.

The move comes in the wake of the death of an autorickshaw driver in a recent accident involving an Ama Bus, following which chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed the department to step up monitoring and enforcement.

The committee will be headed by Housing and Urban Development principal secretary Usha Padhee. Its members include transport Ccommissioner Amitabh Thakur, Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Jagmohan Meena, the Traffic DCP, and a senior official from Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), the agency that operates the Ama Bus service.

Speaking to the media after a review meeting, Padhee said the panel will meet every 15 days to assess operational performance, safety standards and passenger services. She added that meetings may also be convened at short notice to deal with urgent issues.

She said the driver recruitment process will be made more stringent. Newly recruited drivers will undergo intensive training, and a mandatory five-day evaluation will be conducted before their induction to assess driving skills, road safety awareness, lane discipline and behaviour.

Padhee said the overall functioning of the Ama Bus system will be closely monitored over the next one month to ensure strict compliance with safety and operational guidelines. She added that all necessary steps will be taken to prevent a repeat of such incidents.

An inquiry into the recent accident is currently underway, and responsibility will be fixed once the investigation is completed, she said.

The principal secretary also announced that additional mini buses will be added to the Ama Bus fleet to improve efficiency and strengthen last-mile connectivity.

Sharing accident data, Padhee said that between February and December 2025, seven people were killed and 97 others were injured in accidents involving Ama Buses.

(with inputs from agencies)