BHUBANESWAR: Hours after its sudden statewide strike left thousands of passengers in the lurch amid the ongoing Durga Puja festivities, private bus operators on Friday evening relented and postponed the stir till October 31. Facing growing public criticism over the timing of the strike, the All Odisha Private Owners’ Association (AOPBOA) buckled under pressure even as the Transport department was unyielding to their demands.
Bus operations resumed in the evening after the announcement was made by the operators’ association whose members held a meeting with Commerce and Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu earlier in the day. Sahu, during the meeting, insisted on the earlier decision of holding a meeting on October 26 to thrash out the issues, said sources.
Sources privy to the proceedings of the meeting said the minister clearly told the association members that modalities for tier-II (blocks to district headquarters) operations under the Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative’ (LAccMI) scheme of the government are yet to be finalised and their concerns would be taken into consideration before arriving at a decision.
Transport department sources said the government is keen to implement the service across the state in an attempt to provide affordable services to all citizens including students, women and the differently-abled.
Earlier in the day, travellers had a harrowing time as about 14,000 private buses went off roads opposing the government’s LAccMI scheme. In Bhubaneswar’s Baramunda bus stand, a long queue of passengers could be seen in front of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) counters. The passengers waiting in sweltering heat were severely critical of the private bus owners’ association's decision to call for a strike on such short notice.
AOPBOA general secretary Debendra Sahu said the minister asked the association to attend the meeting on October 26 where discussions on the operation of buses from blocks to district headquarters under LAccMI scheme will be held. “Discussions will also be held on Mo Bus services which are affecting us. We are hopeful our demands will be met,” he said.
Meanwhile, buses having bookings started operations while the operators were asked to arrange alternatives for passengers stranded at various stops, he said.