The private bus owners association will actively join the movement. They plan to stop the 24-hour bus service on the 7th and 8th.
The BJD government launched the first one-tier bus, but protests led to its closure. Afterward, the Bus Owners Union protested again when the Tire to Lakshmi buses started running, but the plan was postponed due to the elections.
Now that the government has changed, the previous administration’s plans remain unchanged. The Bus Owners Union is gearing up to protest this decision.
Bus owners from the Western and Southern regions have united against the Lakshmi bus operation plan. They warned that if their demands are not met by the 7th, they will halt all bus operations. However, they have not received any response from the Transport Department or the state government.
Balangir Chagla Parisha, President of the Bus Owners’ Association, said, “We will strike for 24 hours starting the evening of the 7th. If the government ignores our demands, we will escalate to an indefinite strike in the days to come.”