Bhubaneswar: Traffic movement in the Odisha capital was severely disrupted for a lengthy period Friday morning as members of the Odisha Driver Mahasangha took out a procession for the fulfillment of their 10-point charter of demands. The drivers marched from Palasuni to Naveen Niwas, the chief minister’s residence, where security was beefed up to avoid any untoward incident. The Mahasangha members submitted a memorandum to the CM to attract his attention to their demands. The drivers marched in their uniforms.
“Our demands include Covid-19 warrior status to all drivers in Odisha, provision of allowance and pension after 60 years of age. We also want extension of the date of validity of our driving licenses. We had earlier handed over memorandums to the CM through the respective District Collectors. But as our demands have remained unfulfilled, we decided to take out this procession,” an office-bearer of the outfit said.
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The drivers have also demanded insurance coverage of Rs 20 lakh in case of accidental deaths and Rs 10 lakh for critical injuries. The official also said that the Mahasangha decided to stage mass protest here as its demands went unheard for a long time. If the drivers issues are not looked into, the protests will continue, added the official.
PNN