Opposition BJP, Congress raise issue in Assembly, urge govt to fulfill drivers’ demands
By Prasanna Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, March16: As many as six police officials were on Thursday injured in a face-off after the strike called by the Odisha Drivers’ Association turned violent at Pokodibandha square near Berhampur.
As per reports, the drivers turned violent when the police tried to prevent them from stopping trucks entering Odisha from other states.
The injured policemen were admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for treatment.
Earlier on the day, agitating members of the Odisha Drivers’ Association and the drivers from other states faced off at Tamando near state capital Bhubaneswar.
On Thursday morning when the drivers of other states tried to move, they were allegedly stopped by the agitating drivers. This led to a verbal duel between the two groups. Soon the situation snowballed into a scuffle, forcing the police to intervene.
The strike launched by the Odisha Drivers’ Association entered the second day on Thursday. The agitating members have been staging a sit-in on the National Highway at several places. Because of this, the trucks from other states have been stranded for two days.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP and Congress members on Thursday created a ruckus in the Odisha Legislative Assembly over the ongoing indefinite protest by drivers. The House witnessed repeated adjournments.
The agitating drivers have been demanding pension after 60 years of age, death benefits, life insurance, social security, parking and toilet facility.
Raising the drivers’ strike issue during the zero hour, Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said transport services have come to a standstill across the state due to the protest of the drivers.
They are not an organised body and earn Rs 6,000 to Rs 15,000 per month, which is insufficient to run a family. The government should listen to them and address their problems, he said.
Mishra urged the Speaker to direct the government to resolve their issues.
As the Speaker did not give any ruling, the members of the BJP and Congress rushed to the well of the Assembly and created a ruckus demanding early solution to their issues.
As a noisy situation prevailed in the House, Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha adjourned the proceedings and called for an all-party meeting.
Later, Leader of the Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra said, “Drivers have been protesting day and night for their rights since yesterday, but the government is silent. This is an important issue.”
He demanded that the department minister should furnish a reply in the House.
After listening to the opposition members, the Speaker gave a ruling asking commerce and transport minister Tukuni Sahu to hold a discussion with agitating drivers and make a statement in the House on Friday.
