Bhubaneswar: The indefinite strike by the Drivers’ Ekta Mahasangh to press for its 10-point charter of demand entered its third day on Friday despite the state government’s assurance to resolve their issues within three months. Approximately five lakh members of the Mahasangh took to the streets across the state.
Members of the Mahasangh continued with their protests and pickets at important points along the state and national highways passing through Odisha on Friday. The agitating members of the Mahasang also blocked roads at some important junctions disrupting normal vehicular movement. According to reports, some members of the Mahasangh spent the night on the national highway as a mark of protest.
In Sambalpur, police picked up 50 agitating drivers from Jayantpur Chhak for allegedly blocking the Sambalpur-Bargarh road on Friday. Police also removed the tents of the agitators to clear the road which was totally blocked by the agitators.
Prashanta Menduli, president of the Drivers’ Ekta Mahasangh said that they would continue their agitation till the government conceded their demands, which include a rise in wages and social security. “The government has said that it would resolve our issues within three months, but we are not prepared to wait. It has been over a year since we have been raising our demands, but they have been ignored,” he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of trucks and oil tanker trucks were seen stranded at various locations along the state and national highways in Odisha even on Friday, disrupting supplies of fuel and other essential commodities.
This strike has severely impacted the capital city as people were seen forming long queues at petrol pumps and paying high prices than normal for vegetables in the market. Most of the vegetables in the market are priced above Rs 60 as the protest continued for the third day.
According to vegetable vendors, many vegetables such as potatoes, onions, garlic, capsicum and others are imported from outside the state and their supplies have been hindered due to the drivers’ strike. As a result, the prices of vegetables have soared.
