Bus strike to take place in 14 districts of Odisha starting this evening!
Bus services in western and southern Odisha may be suspended for 24 hours starting from 6 PM today as the bus owners' associations have called for a strike in the region.
Arpit Pattnaik
Bus services in western and southern Odisha may be suspended for 24 hours from 6 PM today as the bus owners' associations have called for a strike in the region. The strike could affect bus services in Kalahandi, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Bolangir, Subarnapur, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, and Deogarh districts.
Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena has invited the private bus owners’ associations for a meeting at Berhampur today to discuss their demands. The strike is in response to the Odisha government's decision to introduce tier-II buses under the Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme.
During a general body meeting, the bus owners expressed dissatisfaction with the state government's lack of response to their demands. As a result, 24 bus owners' associations across 14 districts have called for the strike.
The associations have warned that they may extend the strike indefinitely if their demands are not met. A bus owner explained that while they supported the launch of tier-I LAccMI buses connecting blocks to panchayats, they are opposing the introduction of tier-II buses, which would operate between blocks and district headquarters, causing financial losses for private bus operators.
