Bhubaneswar, Nov 12 (IANS): The Odisha and Bihar governments have renewed their agreements to operate direct bus services passing through Jharkhand on 33 routes covering almost 21,867 km, an official said on Saturday.

As per the older agreement, buses were operating on 15 routes covering a total distance of 9,276 kms. Now, it has been extended further, the official said.

Services on the new and longer routes will boost connectivity of religious, tourists and places of educational importance between two states.

With a new agreement in place, people commuting to Patna, Biharsarif, Deoghar, Gaya, Aurangabad, Darbhanga, Rajgir, Bhagalpur, Buxer, Siwan, Aara, Hajipur, Chapara and Nawada from different parts of Odisha including Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Baripada, Balasore, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Sundergarh and many other places will be majorly benefitted, said Brajabandhu Bhol, secretary, State Transport Authority (STA), Odisha.

As per the new agreement, Odisha buses will cover 17,611 km in Bihar while Bihar buses will cover 8,784 km in Odisha. The buses will ply via Jharkhand covering a distance of 8,032 km in the state, he said.

This is a big step towards facilitating road transport in the state. The agreement between the transport departments of Bihar and Odisha would also help in strengthening the cultural roots, said Bhol.

The new inter-state agreement with Bihar will also open the door for new inter-state bus permits. Around 100 permits and trips will be opened in both the states, he added.

The Odisha government is also discussing with other neighbouring states, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for similar agreements.