Bhubaneswar: The All Odisha Bus Owners’ Association (AOBOA) has warned of a statewide bus strike from December 1 in protest against the state government’s proposal to grant additional powers to the Police Department for motor vehicle checking. The move, according to the association, has triggered deep concern among private bus operators.
AOBOA General Secretary Debendra Kumar Sahu told reporters that expanding police authority in vehicle enforcement could lead to unnecessary harassment of bus owners, increased penalty-driven actions, and potential disruption of bus services across the state. He recalled that a similar attempt made nearly four decades ago had to be rolled back following widespread misuse of power and corruption. Since then, motor vehicle inspections have been conducted without direct police involvement.
Sahu clarified that the association supports enforcement measures under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act—such as action against rash driving, helmet and seat-belt violations, and triple riding—because they contribute to reducing road accident fatalities. However, he expressed concern that police authorities have been gradually expanding their jurisdiction beyond what was initially intended.
The association had submitted a memorandum to the state government in June, urging Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider the proposal. On July 8, the Odisha Drivers Mahasangh had staged a statewide “steering surrender” agitation by commercial vehicle drivers on the same issue, though the protest was withdrawn ahead of President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the state on July 14.
AOBOA has scheduled a General Body meeting on November 25 to discuss the next steps. If the government goes ahead with formally empowering the police with these additional checking rights, private bus services across Odisha will come to a complete halt from December 1, Sahu cautioned.
