Bhubaneswar, May 18: Employees of the Ama Bus staged a sit-in protest at the Bhagabanpur Depot in Patrapada on Friday, demanding immediate payment of pending salaries and resolution of several long-standing issues related to their service conditions.

According to reports, the agitation began early in the morning, disrupting public transport operations in the capital city. Due to the protest, as many as 117 buses operating on 45 routes from the Bhagabanpur Depot remained off the roads, causing major inconvenience to daily commuters who rely heavily on Ama Bus services for transportation.

The protesting employees raised four key demands before the management. They sought timely disbursement of salaries along with regular payment of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) contributions. The employees also demanded a cap on work assignments, stating that no staff member should be assigned more than 30 duties.

In addition, the employees strongly opposed the existing penalty system. They demanded that in FC and FNC-related cases, the penalty amount should not exceed Rs 500. Currently, employees reportedly face a fine of Rs 5,000 along with suspension from duty for five days.

The agitating workers warned that the protest would continue until the authorities address their grievances and provide a concrete assurance regarding fulfillment of their demands.

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