Bhubaneswar: Commuters can finally heave a sigh of relief as the All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association has decided to distance itself from the ongoing ’quit steering wheel’ protest of commercial vehicle drivers in the state.
The services will resume across the state from Saturday (July 12), ending days of commuter inconvenience.
“Bus services across Odisha have been affected for four days due to the agitation by Odisha Drivers’ Mahasangha. The passengers are facing severe problems commuting, which is why we have decided to resume the services from tomorrow,” All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association secretary Debendra Sahu told the media on Friday.
The decision was taken by the association in a meeting in Puri.
However, it has urged the state government for adequate security for resumption of bus services. “The agitating drivers are blocking roads at several places across the state. There have been reports about some buses being vandalised by miscreants. So, we urge the state government to provide the necessary security to bus drivers and employees,” he added.
The agitation, which entered its fourth day on Friday, had crippled both transport and fuel supply across Odisha.
Over 13,000 buses have remained off road since the launch of the cease-work agitation on July 8 to press for a seven-point charter of demands. Though OSRTC buses were operational, they were unable to handle the huge rush of passengers who were left stranded at bus stands in several major cities of the state. The private bus owners had also been sustaining huge losses due to the ongoing strike.
Earlier in the day, Odisha Drivers’ Mahasangh president Prashant Menduli had assured that the agitating drivers will not disrupt vehicular movement, but will continue the stir till their demands are met.
