Odisha private bus owners defer stir

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 7:

The Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association, which had decided to stop bus services in the state from August 9, today decided to postpone the strike action till August 19.

“The Association decided to defer its proposed state-wide strike till August 19 in view of the high flood in the state and after considering the request of the Commerce and Transport minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi”, general secretary of the Association Debendra Kumar Sahu told reporters here after a meeting with the minister at the State Secretariat here.

He said the minister requested the Association to defer its strike till August 19 while assuring that he would sincerely consider its demands.

He, however, informed that the Association would decide its future course of action after August 20.

The Association had demanded a revision of bus fares following frequent hikes in the price of diesel.

Besides, it had placed three major demands before the government such as immediate revision of bus fare in view of the hike in the price of diesel and automatic revision of bus fare in proportion to the hike in diesel price in future, plying of buses under JNNURM inside the city areas and monthly collection of toll gate tax of Rs 1000 from each private bus instead of daily collection.