BHUBANESWAR: With the trade unions calling a general strike throughout the country on Tuesday, the public transport system in the capital is likely to be affected badly.
Joining the strike are the Auto-rickshaw Association, who have already made their intention clear, while the officials of city bus services are not sure if they will be plying their buses during the strike.
More than 15,000 auto-rickshaws, which ply in the city everyday, have decided to stay off the roads on Tuesday. The bus authorities, on the other hand, said, “We do not want to disrupt the public transport and would like to run our buses, but will do so only if provided protection,” informed Dream Team Sahara CEO Sudhansu Jena. The general public, a majority of whom depend on the public transport, may face problems.
The private bus operators were also uncertain about running the buses on Tuesday.
All-Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association general secretary Debendra Sahoo said the operators would take stock of the situation in the morning before deciding on running their
buses.
The Odisha State Government Employees’ Coordination Committee, a body of State Government Employees, will also join the strike by staging a dharna.
The committee will submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister.
Similarly, the All-India Transporters’ Welfare Association will join the strike, its spokesperson Subrat Kumar Nanda said.