Odisha Private Bus Owners Stick To Strike Plan From Tomorrow; Seek Written Assurance From Govt On Demand

Bhubaneswar: The private bus owners today stuck to their decision to launch an indefinite strike from Friday in protest against the state government’s LAccMI scheme after their talks with officials failed to resolve the issue.

Announcing the decision, secretary of the Private bus Owners’ Association Debendra Sahu said that talks were held with the officials during the day, but the state government failed to fulfil the demands. As the meeting with the state government officials failed to yield any positive result, the association decided to launch strike for an indefinite period, said Sahu.

Despite unwillingness, the private bus owners are forced to go on strike because of the government’s approach, he said. “Our intention is not to cause inconvenience to commuters during Durga Puja festival. We are still waiting for a positive response from the government,” he said.

Stating that the association wants a written assurance from the government over the bus operators’ demands, Sahu said there is still time for the government to respond by Friday morning.

Earlier on September 27, the bus owner had called for a state-wide bus strike from October 10 in protest against the state government’s LAccMI scheme.

The decision to put on hold the bus strike was taken at a meeting of the association following a fruitful discussion with the government with the mediation of the transport department.