Bhubaneswar: Bus owners' associations of western and southern Odisha called off the proposed bus strike in the region after a meeting with Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, today.

The associations had earlier called for a 24-hour bus strike in 14 districts of Odisha, opposing the Odisha government's decision to introduce tier-II buses under the Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme.

The minister had then called the private bus owners’ associations for a meeting at Berhampur to discuss their demands. He gave assurance to the members of the associations that permits for tier-II LAccMI buses would be withheld.

"The minister heard our concerns and assured us that the permit for tier-II LAccMI buses will be put on hold for now," said Bikash Chandra Mahapatra, co-ordinator of Bargarh Private Bus Owners’ Association.

A bus owner explained that while they supported the launch of tier-I LAccMI buses connecting blocks to panchayats, they opposed the introduction of tier-II buses, which would operate between blocks and district headquarters, causing financial losses for private bus operators.