Odisha Lockdown 3.0: Buses May Ply In Green Zones, Says Minister

Bhubaneswar: A day after the announcement of the All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association that it will not ply buses in the districts that have been declared as green zone, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera on Monday said that the state government is actively considering this matter.

“Private bus owners have said that they cannot run the buses with 50 per cent passengers as they will incur heavy loss. We are taking necessary steps to allow the plying of buses in 16 green zone districts. The Commerce and Transport Department has put up a file to this effect before the Chief Minister and it will allow the plying of the buses after his recommendation. We will find a way out to ensure that the private bus owners will not incur any loss,” Behera said.

Notably, 16 districts of Odisha have been declared as the green zone as there are no COVID-19 positive cases.