Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Denizens of Bhubaneswar were in a state of sudden surprise and panic as the streets of the city flooded with men wearing Khakis and lathis in their hands. A sea of humanity witnessed in the streets of Bhubaneswar, the entire Mahatma Gandhi Marg that leads to Secretariat and Assembly were chock-a-block with lakhs of drivers, they laid siege to the capital city to press for their demands and left the Commissionerate Police clueless about their plan.
Drivers under the banner of Odisha Drivers Mahasangh with 10 points demand are on a massive padayatra on the streets of Bhubaneswar. The Mahasangh's demands include minimum wages, pension and insurance cover to them. The first working day of the week came to a standstill in the city as parents, who were in a hurry to drop their children to school, were stranded in the crowd. While the common man, employees and workers for the whole crowd in the street of central Bhubaneswar, the atmosphere has turned hostile and miserable.
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The commuters on the NH-16 and Janpath have been facing harrowing times as drivers from across 30 districts joined the padayatra that started from Palasuni towards Naveen Nivas. Security has been tightened at the Assembly, Secretariat, Naveen Niwas, Chief Minister's residence. However, police have failed to stop the agitators in marching from Station Square to Mahatma Gandhi Marg where they are now staging a dharna.
According to the Commissionerate Police, no permission was sought by the agitators for taking out the massive padayatra. While the association claimed that around three lakhs drivers have participated in the padayatra in Bhubaneswar. The Mahasangh members demand that the government bring out a special law to protect drivers from common people in case of any untoward incident on the road, a minimum remuneration of Rs 15,000 for drivers of light vehicles and Rs 20,000 for heavy vehicle drivers. They also sought a monthly pension after 55 years of age, an insurance cover of Rs 20 lakh, Rs 5 lakh under an affordable housing scheme, roadside restrooms and parking facility, declaring them as a warrior like security personnel.
