Odisha Private Bus Owners To Launch Indefinite Strike From Next Week

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Bus Owners’ Association (OBOA) on Thursday announced that its members will launch a statewide bus strike from January 17.

The association took a decision in this regard against the Vehicle Scrapping Policy of the Odisha government, informed Debendra Sahu, the secretary of the association.

The Cuttack Private Bus Owners’ Association has extended support to the strike call.

Notably, the association members staged a demonstration in front of the state transport authority in December 2022 demanding that the state government accept their eight-point charter of demands.

On January 7, the state Transport department secretary met a delegation of the association to discuss the issue, but the talks failed to yield a solution.

It is pertinent to mention here that the owners association urged the government to fulfill an eight-point charter of demands by December 16 to prevent the strike. Abolition of scrapping policy is one among their other major demands.

The Odisha Cabinet had in November approved a new Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility Policy-2022 saying it will play a major role in reducing vehicular air pollution.

Under the policy, all old vehicles that have completed 15 years of age have to be scrapped at the scrapping centres. There will be an incentive system for people scrapping their old vehicles to buy new vehicles.