The Private Bus Owners Association has threatened an indefinite strike starting October 8 in opposition to the launch of Tier-II buses under the Location Accessible Multimodal Initiative (LAccMI) scheme. They demand the government reconsider its decision by 6 PM on October 7, warning that protests will coincide with the Durga Puja festivities. Nari Mohanty, President of the Bus Owners’ Association, noted that while they agreed to Tier-1 LAccMI buses, the previous government had unofficially promised to halt Tier-2 services. The LAccMI buses were initiated by the previous BJD government to connect remote areas, and the current government aims to continue this scheme.
