Bhubaneswar, May 14: Passenger bus services across Odisha may come to a standstill within the next two days due to an acute shortage of diesel, the All Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association warned on Thursday.

The association stated that private bus operators are facing serious operational difficulties as fuel availability has reportedly become irregular in several parts of the state. If the situation does not improve immediately, many bus owners may be forced to suspend services, affecting thousands of daily commuters.

Association General Secretary Debendra Sahu said the diesel shortage is not limited to Odisha alone but is also impacting neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Due to the ongoing situation, even vehicles from outside states are reportedly facing difficulties entering Odisha.

Sahu appealed to the Odisha government to take urgent steps to ensure uninterrupted diesel supply, particularly for passenger buses, to avoid disruption of transport services across the state.

The association expressed concern that the present crisis is beginning to resemble the situation witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when transport operations were severely affected for an extended period. Bus owners warned that if the diesel supply issue remains unresolved, all private buses could soon go off the roads, creating major inconvenience for passengers, especially those travelling to rural and remote areas.

The association also stressed that prolonged disruption in bus services would affect students, office-goers, traders and daily wage earners who depend heavily on public transport for their routine travel needs.

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