Drivers strike in Odisha: Commuters face hardship; ruckus in Assembly over issue

Buses were off the roads and goods carriages and cabs remained stranded at various locations in Odisha on Thursday (March 16) due to the drivers strike in the state. This is the second day of the ‘quit steering’ strike called by the Drivers Ekta Mahasangha.

The striking drivers gathered on the national highways and state expressways and stopped vehicles inconveniencing commuters.

Over 2 lakh drivers have launched a strike across Odisha from Wednesday for an indefinite period demanding social security, including pension after 60 years, accident benefits, and formation of a welfare fund.

The drivers’ strike also had its echo in the Odisha Assembly, which witnessed back-to-back six adjournments and remained paralysed till 4 pm because of the pandemonium caused by the Opposition BJP and Congress members over the issue.

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Commuters bear the brunt

People bore the brunt of the strike with commuters, including tourists, waiting at bus stops, prices of vegetables and fruits skyrocketed, and fuel was unavailable at filling stations.

In view of the hardships faced by commuters, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to initiate steps to resolve the issue. In a series of tweets, he requested the Odisha CM to take the demands of the protesting drivers seriously and hold discussions with all the drivers unions to find a solution.

Tourists visiting Puri, Bhubaneswar, and other places also had a tough time as they were unable to go to railway stations or airports.

Ruckus in Odisha Assembly

The drivers strike issue was raised in the Odisha Assembly by Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra, who expressed support to the striking drivers demanding social security and other amenities like parking and toilet facilities along the roads. Mishra sought a ruling from Speaker B K Arukha to resolve the issue.

Opposition BJP members also supported the Congress demand and trooped into the well of the House. The lone CPI(M) MLA, Laxman Munda, also joined the BJP and Congress legislators.

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The Opposition members raised anti-government slogans and held the state government responsible for the plight of people caused due to the drivers strike. Unable to run the House, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings six times during which an all-party meeting was convened.

Normalcy returned to the House after the Speaker in a ruling, following the all-party meeting, asked transport minister Tukuni Sahu to hold a meeting with the striking drivers and make a statement in the Assembly on Friday.

Drivers community divided

Meanwhile, Prasant Muduli, a member of the Drivers Ekta Mahasangha, said, “We have been requesting the drivers of all vehicles, including goods carriages from other states also, with folded hands to support our strike and stop driving. As the drivers community is united, there is none to ferry the trucks on the roads.

The All Odisha Bus Owners Association, Truck Owners Association, and Auto-rickshaw Owners Association, however, have not joined the stir.

All Odisha Bus Owners Association secretary, Debendra Sahu, said: “Though we are ready to run buses, the police have not been providing security to the staff and commuters.
The bus owners, he said, were incurring huge losses due to no movement of vehicles on the roads.”

Fuel scarcity

Meanwhile, reports of fuel scarcity were reported from places like Balasore, Sambalpur, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack, as fuel-carrying vehicles were being stopped by the agitators on road.

Utkal Petroleum Dealers Association general secretary Sanjay Lath said fuel is sent to over 1,600 stations in the state from depots in Paradip, Balasore, Jharsuguda, and Jatani by 2,000 tankers. As these vehicles were intercepted by the agitators, fuel stations were unable to refill their stock.

In a related development, auto-rickshaws and cabs also remained off the roads in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri for several hours on Thursday as the Smart City Online Auto Association members observed a strike protesting alleged humiliation by members of the Drivers Mahasangha.

The auto-rickshaw and cab drivers, however, called off their strike after getting an assurance from the city police commissioner that such incidents would not be allowed to recur.