Bhubaneswar, Nov. 30: Private bus operators today called off their indefinite strike, which was to begin tomorrow, after a meeting with the state government.

The All Odisha Private Bus Owners' Association had earlier threatened to go on strike against the state government's proposal to levy a green tax on vehicles, which were over 15 years old. At present, more than 15,000 private buses are plying in the state.

The cabinet had, in September, proposed the green tax of Rs 5,000 and Rs 1,000 for transport and non-transport vehicles, respectively. The government planned to table the proposal in the Assembly's winter session.

The association is also opposing the government's decision to ply the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission buses outside cities. They fear losses if urban renewal mission buses start plying on the inter-city routes.

"The state government has agreed to examine the tax proposal. It would also decide the radius of a particular cluster in which the city buses would ply in the next three months," said the association's general secretary Debendra Sahu.

"The government has extended the city bus service from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack and Puri. It seems possible that it may extend the service from the capital city to other urban areas such as Balasore and Baripada - which would result in a huge loss for the private bus operators," said Sahu.

Earlier, the association members met state transport minister Ramesh Majhi. "I have urged the association to call off their strike as the state government is considering their demands," said Majhi after the meeting.