Bhubaneswar: The private bus owners in Odisha have threatened to go on strike from August 16 to protest against the state government’s LAccMI scheme, which is scheduled to be launched on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15.

As part of the protest, more than 14,000 private buses in Odisha will go off the roads for indefinite period. Around 70,000 drivers, conductors and helpers across the state will also resort to cease-work agitation over the issue, said Odisha Private Bus owners’ Association Secretary Debendra Sahu.

The state government has announced to launch Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme to boost communication in rural areas in Odisha. The government will provide bus service from each gram panchayat to the block headquarters under the scheme.

In the first phase, the scheme will be launched in Gajapati, Kalahandi and undivided Koraput district, said an official.

It is learnt that the state government will deploy two buses in each block under the LAccMI scheme. The state government will provide bus communication under the scheme in the initial phase. In the later stage, communication through boats and others means of transport will be included in it, added the official.

“The state government has introduced ‘Mo Bus’ services in several urban areas of Odisha including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Sundargarh. Now, the state government is all set to roll out the LAccMI scheme from August 15. As a result, the private bus owners will incur losses to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore on daily basis,” said a source in the association.

The private bus owners’ association had raised the issue with the Chief Minister on July 26. However, the state government is yet to take any step in this regard, Sahu said.