Odisha: Private bus operators’ stir postponed till Oct 31

Bhubaneswar: The private bus owners’ association in Odisha today announced that it would postpone its indefinite strike till October 31.

The statewide agitation launched by the private bus owners’ association has been postponed till October 31 as per the request of the Chief Minister, said association secretary Debendra Sahu.

“We held discussions with the Transport Minister. The state government has assured us to look into all our demands. Our next meeting with the state government is scheduled to be held on Oct 26. Buses will start plying across the state from tonight,” Sahu added.

Earlier in the day, private buses across Odisha went off road as the owners’ association launched its indefinite strike to protest against Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) of the state government.

As many as 14,000 private buses went off the road due to the statewide agitation causing immense inconvenience for people during the ongoing festive season.

The All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association said the state government on October 9 had assured it that buses under LAccMI would ply only from panchayats to block headquarters and not from block headquarters to district headquarters.

However, buses under the scheme started plying to Malkangiri district headquarters from October 12.

“The fares under LAccMI buses are one-third of those charged by the private buses. So, the newly-introduced scheme will affect the business of private buses,” said the association.

Seeking inclusion of private buses under LAccMI, the owners’ association had earlier threatened to launch its agitation from October 9. However, the association had postponed its planned stir after discussions with the officials of state government.