The Transport Department has cancelled permits of 354 autos for 45 days after a disorderly protest near Master Canteen Square, tightening the squeeze on online auto rickshaw operators who had joined the agitation.
The unrest began when app-based auto rickshaw and cab drivers blocked roads around Master Canteen and the railway station area, bringing traffic to a halt.
What started as a protest over fares, platform fees and social security quickly turned chaotic. Police say vehicles were used to choke the square; officers trying to clear the road were met with stone-pelting and vandalism. Ama buses, police vans and private cars were damaged. Several personnel were injured.
The Commissionerate Police responded with a wide sweep. Officials said 115 auto-rickshaw drivers were arrested in connection with the violence. On Tuesday, 86 of them walked out of Jharpada jail after court proceedings, even as cases continued. Investigators have registered multiple FIRs at Kharavel Nagar police station and are still reviewing CCTV footage to identify others.
Transport action followed the police crackdown. Bhubaneswar RTO-1 officials said 181 auto rickshaws have already been issued e-challans for violations linked to the blockade. Show-cause notices went out to registered owners, asking who was in control of each vehicle and whether it was used with the owner’s knowledge. Failure to respond, officials warned, would invite unilateral action.
That action has now arrived: 354 auto permits have been cancelled for 45 days. For online auto rickshaw drivers already living on thin daily earnings, the ban is a second blow. Their vehicles sit seized or idle, while passengers at the station and Master Canteen scramble for other rides.
Police also demolished an unauthorised auto stand near the square, calling it an illegal encroachment.
Authorities have drawn a hard line. Road blockades, they say, are not a legitimate form of protest, and vehicles used to paralyse a public junction will lose their permits.
Driver unions argue they were fighting for better fares and social security, and that a 45-day ban will punish families more than it will restore order.
For now, the square is open again. The permits are not. In Bhubaneswar’s auto economy, that 45-day gap may prove longer than it looks.
