Bhubaneswar, May 12 (IANS): Bus services will resume in green zones of Odisha but with double the fares, said Transport Minister Padmanabh Behera on Tuesday.

Behera said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already given his approval to the department's proposal for the plying of buses and to double the bus fares.

The Minister said passengers would be charged twice the normal fares since these buses will ply with 50 per cent passenger capacity in accordance with the social distancing norm.

"This will compensate for the loss to the bus owners. We will inform the bus owners about the proposal and take a decision in a couple of days after receiving their feedback," the Minister added.

To help office-goers travel during the lockdown, the state government has also decided to begin bus services between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar from Wednesday.

Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will ply a bus between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to facilitate the office-goers. The bus fare has been fixed at Rs 30. It will ply during office hours, the Transport Minister said.