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Private buses go off the road

Correspondent

Operators call for indefinite stir protesting against mob attack at Biribati

CUTTACK: Normal traffic on the busy routes of Cuttack-Paradeep and Cuttack-Machhagaon was paralysed on Tuesday as private buses remained off the road. Hundreds of commuters were found stranded at Badambadi bus terminus and OMP square of the city as private bus owners launched an indefinite bus strike on these two routes.

The Cuttack district private bus operators late on Monday evening had decided not to ply their vehicles on these two roads from Tuesday in protest against Saturday's mob attack on vehicles at Biribati, about 10 km from here on Cuttack-Paradeep road.

An irate mob had torched five vehicles, including a passenger bus, following a road accident in which a 60-year-old man of the locality was killed on the spot. At least 25 other vehicles were damaged in the mob attack. The local people had also staged a road blockade here on Saturday evening for about an hour.

Action sought

``Although, three cases have been lodged at Cuttack Sadar police station in this connection on Sunday, no action has been taken against the hooligans yet,'' said the Cuttack Private Bus Owners secretary Bibhuti Bhusan Jethi. ``Demanding action against the accused, we have launched an indefinite bus strike in these two routes and the strike was a success on Tuesday, ''said the bus operators' president Pramod Patra. Cuttack sadar police station in-charge officer Gupteswar Mahakud confirmed that three cases have been filed in connection with Biribati incident and the accused are absconding. "We have conducted at least six raids in the area since Sunday but the accused are still at large", Mahakud said.

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