Owners Refuse To Ply Private Buses In Odisha From Tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: Despite the announcement by the state government on the resumption of intra-state bus services with full seat capacity from Monday, the All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association has said that it will not be possible to run the buses.

In a press briefing here on Sunday, spokesperson of the association, Debashis Nayak said due to the lockdown, the bus drivers and helpers have gone to their village as the bus owners have not been able to pay their salary. Keeping this in view, it will take time for the bus owners to resume the services.

Stating that the association has not held any meeting with the government till date, he said they will take a decision after consulting the regional bodies.

Earlier, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera had said the private bus owners will not incur the loss as the state government has allowed the intra-state bus services with full capacity. Besides, the tax waiver demand by the private bus owners is under active consideration, he added.

The minister had also said that the government will have a meeting with the private bus owners for resumption of inter-state bus service followed by another meeting with its counterparts in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.