Odisha bus owners’ association expresses inability to ply buses from tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: While the Odisha government allowed intra-state bus movement from May 25, the State Private Bus Owners’ Association refused to ply buses from tomorrow. In his reaction the bus owners’ association President Lokanath Pani today said the privates buses will be run only after a discussion with Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera.

“The minister must hold talks with the State bus owners’ association about operating buses. We will then discuss the same with local bus owners’ associations. Today the State government has issued an advisory only about bus services. However, the government has not discussed anything with us,” added Pani.

Another office bearer of the bus owners’ association said if buses are operated from tomorrow, bus owners will be forced to pay taxes for the month of May which will be a loss to them.

Worth mentioning, intra-state bus services in Odisha were suspended due to a nationwide lockdown for COVID-19 outbreak since the last week of March.

While allowing bus services from tomorrow, the government said buses will have to carry passengers up to the sitting capacity of the vehicle.