Thousands of Catholic pilgrims heading for the Madu feast from the South were inconvenienced today when the Police in Mannar ordered that no private buses will be able to travel to the area and passengers could travel only by state run buses.
The move prompted a strike by the Private Bus Owners Association in Mannar until the issue was resolved.
President of the Association Gemunu Wijeratne told Timesonline that the Police action on the instructions of Minister Rishard Bathiurdeen had prevented the private buses heading to the destination.
He said that following a complaint to Senior DIG Gamini Silva a superintendent of Police was rushed to the area to resolve the matter, and after negotiations the matter was resolved after four hours.
Tens of thousands of people have arrived to attend the festive mass on Monday.