SAMBALPUR: Travel plans of passengers from Kuchinda were severely disrupted due to a bus strike for 12 hours by the Kuchinda private bus association on Thursday. The strike, which began around 5.30 am, was triggered by a dispute with the Jharsuguda bus association and continued until the evening when police intervention restored services.
The conflict arose when the Jharsuguda association launched a bus service on the Angul route, which coincided with an existing Kuchinda route bus. This led to a clash between the two services, forcing the Kuchinda association to initiate the strike in protest.
Passengers, including Sripada Barik, who travels to Jharsuguda for work, found themselves stranded and facing delays, as the strike disrupted bus services to Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and Deogarh. Many were left with no option but to take a leave from work or miss important commitments. “I take bus to Jharsuguda from here for my workplace. I got to know about the strike only after I reached the bus stop. It was already late to catch a train. I had to take leave today,” he said.
A Kuchinda driver reported that buses traveling between Kuchinda and Jharsuguda were halted by both associations. The strike continued until around 4.30 pm when a meeting was convened by the police, RTO, and sub-collector with representatives from both bus associations.
SDPO Kuchinda, Amitav Panda, confirmed that the dispute was resolved during the meeting, describing it as a minor issue that has now been addressed. “The meeting in the presence of sub collector and RTO, Sambalpur came to a fruitful conclusion. It was a minor dispute,” he stated.
Following the resolution, bus services resumed.