Bhubaneswar: The All Odisha Bus Owners’ Association (AOBOA) has threatened a statewide strike starting December 1 over delegation of additional power to the police department for checking of motor vehicles.
Speaking to the media, AOBOA general secretary Debendra Kumar Sahoo said that the move has raised concern among bus operators, as more power to police could lead to harassment, unnecessary obstruction and penalties.
Sahoo further stated that a similar decision nearly 40 years ago had failed owing to an increase in corruption and misuse of authority. “Since then, motor vehicle checking has been carried out without the involvement of the police, except for enforcement against two-wheeler riders under Section 184 for rash and negligent driving, which includes checking for helmets, seat belts and triple riding, to contain road fatalities which we supported. The scope of police authority, however, has been gradually expanding,” he said.
The association had submitted a memorandum to the government in June, urging Chief Minister Mohan Majhi to reconsider the proposal. On July 8, a state-wide ’quit steering wheel’ protest was launched by thousands of commercial vehicle drivers under the banner of Odisha Drivers’ Mahasangha over the issue. It was later withdrawn, citing respect for President Droupadi Murmu’s scheduled visit to Odisha on July 14.
The fresh threat came amid reports that the government was moving ahead with the decision. “The association will hold a general board meeting on November 25 to finalise the next course of action. If the government formally grants these powers to the police, private buses across Odisha will remain off the roads from December 1,” he maintained.
The association has also appealed to the government to reconsider the decision, cautioning that any disruption in bus services will lead to inconvenience for thousands of daily commuters.