Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, Sept. 29: Sanjit Das, 32, had a harrowing time returning home to Cuttack from Saheed Nagar in Bhubaneswar after work today. The young marketing executive had to shell out Rs 300 to cover 30km by autorickshaw, a journey that would otherwise have cost him only Rs 30 by bus.

Nearly 18,000 private buses went off the roads today as part of the 24-hour state-wide strike called by All Odisha Bus Owners' Association to protest against what they called an illegal arrest of a bus owner in connection with the Athmalik mishap that had claimed 19 lives and injured 30 others on September 9. They also demanded that immediate withdrawal of cases registered against Rishab Tripathy, owner of the ill-fated bus.

"Everyday, I travel to Saheed Nagar in Bhubaneswar and return to Cuttack by bus after my work gets over in the evening. But, I had to wait for a long time on Link Road to get a bus to Bhubaneswar this morning. Later, I came to know about the bus strike," said Das.

Though the city bus services were operating between the twin cities throughout the day, many could not board the buses as those were already cramped with office-goers and other passengers.

Sudhansu Jena, an official of Dream Team Shahara that runs the city bus service between the twin cities, said that most people who come to Cuttack to work everyday from other parts of the state could not arrive at Badambadi today as there were no private buses that would bring them to the city from their place.

Jena said that the protesting members of the private bus associations detained three city buses in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar for some time this afternoon. However, the buses were freed after police intervention.

Autorickshaws and private vehicles made the most of the strike as they made a number of trips to the airport, railway stations and other parts of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to pick and drop passengers.

Daily commuters were the worst hit by the bus strike while most of them took passenger and long-distance trains to travel to Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state. "There was utter chaos at railway stations and on Link Road. Office-goers and students who were stranded at Badambadi had to depend on the passenger trains to travel to Bhubaneswar," said Pitambar Sahu, another commuter.

In Bhubaneswar, passengers were seen waiting for buses at the Baramunda bus stand. Those who had arrived from destinations outside Odisha for onward journey towards other cities had a tough time as the few buses run by the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) were overloaded with passengers.

"I came from Chennai in the morning. By the time I reached the bus stand from the railway station, the second OSRTC bus of the day for Bargarh that leaves at 5 am, had already left," said Bhaskar Pradhan, 45, a businessman who lives in Bargarh.

He added that the only option left for him now is to take a train to his native place. "Since getting a reserved berth is impossible now, I just hope of boarding the train and getting a seat in the unreserved compartment," Pradhan said.

Bikash Mohapatra, 25, a marketing executive, also had a harrowing time looking for a bus to Sukinda in Jajpur district. "Normally, I take a bus to Chandikhole and change from there for my journey towards Sukinda. But, due to the strike today, I could not get a bus. Now, I will have to travel to Jajpur in a train," he said.

Commuters who hope between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack everyday also had a tough time in the absence of private buses. Abhijit Moharana, 31, who works as a sales executive in a vehicle showroom near Telengapentha, said the city buses between the two cities were so overcrowded with passengers today that he had no option but to hire a cab.

"I had to pay Rs 350 for the trip. It burnt a hole in my pocket, but reaching my workplace was important," he said.