Odisha private bus strike leaves commuters in lurch

Services of at least 17,000 buses have come to a halt after the Odisha Private Bus Owners' Association observed a state-wide indefinite strike starting from Wednesday.

Commuters, who depend on private buses for their transportation, have been left in lurch.

"We are facing a lot of problems. I am here with a patient and we were unaware of the strike. The government should resolve the issue as early as possible," a passenger told ANI.

The strike resulted after the meeting of the association with the state government failed to yield any results on Tuesday.

The association has been demanding a separate policy for the city bus service. Though the city bus service was meant for cities only, the buses had started plying on the state highways and national highways leading to financial losses to the operators.

"Our main demand is that the city buses that are being operated on the national highways and state highways should be stopped as it is creating a problem for our business. The operational limitation has been finalised by the government," association spokesperson Debasis Mohanty told ANI.

The association further asserted that the strike would continue if the government did not take a decision in their favour.

However, the association would take further decision on the strike by Wednesday afternoon when it is scheduled to have another round of dialogue with the government, Mohanty added.