BHUBANESWAR: The nationwide 'Bharat Bandh' called by the trade unions affiliated with the Left parties and the Odisha Driver Mahasangha's ongoing 'quit steering wheel' protest, participated in by thousands of commercial vehicle drivers, crippled normal life in the state on Wednesday.
The 10 central trade unions and their affiliates are observing Bharat Bandh alleging that the central government is implementing economic reforms that undermine workers' rights.
While both the strikes have crippled transport services, especially private bus operations, the supply of essential commodities is expected to take a severe hit in the next 24 hours.
"Trucks transporting vegetables and fruits from various states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and others arrived on Tuesday night as there was no effect on them due to the protest called by Odisha Driver Mahasangha. However, whether the trucks will be able to reach Odisha on Wednesday night because of the Bharat Bandh remains to be seen," said Chhatra Bazaar Byabasai Sangha secretary Debendra Nath Sahoo.
The strike called by Odisha Driver Mahasangha has affected the local supply of vegetables from places like Angul, Bargarh, Jajpur, Puri and others. If the trucks from other states do not arrive at night, the supply of vegetables and fruits will be severely impacted, he added.
Both the Bharat Bandh and the Odisha Driver Mahasangha's protest have also severely affected the supply of petrol and diesel across the state.
"Some drivers have joined the protest and some reported to duty. However, after the fuel was loaded from the four depots in Jatni, Paradip, Balasore and Jharsuguda, the protestors did not allow the oil tankers to proceed towards their delivery destinations on the day," said general secretary of Utkal Petroleum Dealers Association, Sanjay Lath.
On an average, about 3,600 kilolitres of petrol and 8,500 kilolitres of diesel are loaded from the four depots every day and delivered to various petrol pumps in the state.
However, the fuel could not be supplied on the day due to the protest called by the drivers, and this could severely impact the operations of petrol pumps on Thursday, he added.
There are over 3,000 petrol pumps in the state, and they are dependent on the four depots. "As part of Bharat Bandh, some protestors also closed down a few petrol pumps in the capital city for over an hour earlier in the day," said Lath.
Apart from the supply of essential commodities, transport services took a major hit due to both the strikes and over 13,000 buses remained off the roads across the state on Wednesday.
"Many people who visited Puri to attend Niladri Bije rituals are still stuck due to the drivers' protest, and this has led to a huge rush at the railway station. Thousands of people who visit SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack every day are also facing serious difficulties," said All Odisha Private Bus Owners' Association president, Loknath Pani.
Though OSRTC and Ama Bus continued to operate on the day, protestors have been attempting to disrupt the movement of government buses over the last two days, said sources.
Meanwhile, the deadlock between the state government and the Odisha Driver Mahasangha continues over its various demands. After the conclusion of a late-night meeting with the drivers, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena claimed the talks were successful.
However, the association, led by its president Prashant Menduli, refused to call off the protest, claiming the government has not given a written assurance that their demands will be met.