Bhubaneswar: Odisha Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu on Friday said that her meeting with the leaders of the Private Bus Owners’ Association was successful today and the latter have promised that they will not resort to bus strike in the state.
The minister said that they discussed all the demands of the association today and both sides have agreed that all the issues will be solved through discussion. According to Sahu, the bus owners will submit their charter of demands in writing to the government by October 30 and further discussions will be held thereafter. “The transport committee of the government will consider the demands of the bus owners,” she said.
The minister added that both sides have agreed that in the initial phase, the ‘Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative’ (LAccMI) bus service launched by the state government will operate in the blocks where there is no transport service. The routes of the LAccMI buses will remain unchanged and the buses will run throughout the state. “The private bus owners should not see the LAccMI bus service as a threat to their business as it will not affect their profits,” the minister added.
Talking to the media after the meeting, the secretary of the bus association Debendra Sahu said that the meeting with the Transport minister has been fruitful. He added, “We have convened a general body meeting of the association on October 30. We will chalk out our future strategy at the general body meeting.”
According to him, the minister has accepted their demands in principle and said that all issues will be resolved through discussions. Replying to a question, Debenra Sahu ruled out the possibility of a bus strike in the near future.
