Odisha Bus Owners Launch Indefinite Strike Against Government’s Transportation Initiative

The All Odisha Bus Owners’ Association has announced an indefinite strike in protest of the Odisha government’s location-accessible multimodal initiative (LAccMI) aimed at providing affordable transportation across the state. The strike is set to commence on October 10, with a preliminary “chaka bandh” planned for October 2 in the districts of Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, and Malkangiri. During this initial phase, no buses will operate to or from these districts for 24 hours. If their demands are not met, the association will extend the strike across the entire state starting from October 10.

LAccMI, part of the 2023-24 budget, focuses on improving intra-block and intra-district connectivity in remote regions with limited public transport access, gradually expanding to cover all regions by January 2024.