Koraput: Private buses went off roads in Odisha's undivided Koraput region as the vehicle owners resorted to a strike opposing the State Government's Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme.

The 24-hour strike call disrupted normal life as the agitation halted movement of private buses. The agitators also stopped vehicles from entering and leaving the areas.

"The government is implementing the scheme by acquiring old vehicles from a company in Gujarat. Private bus owners like us will face significant losses due to this scheme. Today, the protest is taking place peacefully only in undivided Koraput. However, we plan to launch a statewide protest from October 10," said Venkat Rao, President of the Private Bus Owners' Association, Malkangiri.

Notably, the aim of the scheme is to provide bus services between gram panchayats and block headquarters.

As per plans of the government, the scheme will be launched in undivided Koraput, Gajapati and Kalahandi districts in the first phase.

The government has planned to deploy two buses in each block under the LAccMI scheme.