Introduction of a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Bhubaneswar has gained ground with the State Government seeking investment from Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), a financial institution of France which extends financial assistance to developing nations. The Housing and Urban Development Department has sought details from the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) about the loan assistance available under the Sovereign Loans Component of AFD so that it could revive the BRTS project which had slowed down in the absence of investors. The BRTS project, for which RITES had drawn up the detailed project report, seeks to bring about radical changes in the urban transport system in the Capital. The RITES had presented two different business models before the State Government last year. The Closed Model had envisaged six dedicated bus routes stretching 49 km in the City. This would necessitate new routes, buses and infrastructure and the model was estimated at over Rs 567 crore. However, the second model, Partially Closed-Partially Open one, was to use the existing bus corridor where the left and right sides could be made available. This model requires Rs 468 crore. Financial viability of the proposals was for a period of 15 years from the year of construction. Although the Government was serious about BRTS, the huge investment it needed was not forthcoming. While BRTS was to be posed before Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, it could not be. “The plan was to get the funding under the State Plan but that too did not materialise,” sources said. The Government subsequently wanted it to be executed in a PPP model for which operational rights and fare rights were to be chalked out. However, it found no takers. With the both Asian Development Bank and AFD showing interest for investments in Odisha which they consider as a potential hub, the State Government has decided to revive the project although it was officially not “shelved”. Since the DEA is the nodal agency for matters on assistance to States from foreign sources, Secretary to the Housing and Urban Development Department Injeti Srinivas has sought the status of Sovereign Loan Component available so that the same could be pushed forward.