Road transport between Mysuru and Bengaluru remained paralysed for the second straight day on Wednesday, with protesters blocking the road at several places in Mandya district, considered to be the Cauvery heartland, over the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu.
Though the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operated a limited number of buses on the alternative route between Mysuru and Bengaluru via the Malavalli-Kanakapura highway for a few hours in the morning, protests on the road later forced KSRTC to suspend operations between the cities.
“When road blockades resumed on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway in Mandya district, we operated buses on the route via Kanakapura. But when protests were held on this route too, we suspended services by noon,” a KSRTC official said.
The number of private vehicles on the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway dwindled to almost a trickle after a protest, led by G.T. Deve Gowda, MLA and JD (S) leader, near Naganahalli on the outskirts of Mysuru blocked traffic movement.
Alternatives
Desperate passengers were seen negotiating with private transport vehicles, including multi-utility vehicles parked outside the suburban bus stand, to take them to Bengaluru via the alternative routes. The driver of one such vehicle was heard asking a group of travellers to pay Rs. 300 per person for the service. However, many passengers were advised by the drivers to instead take the train to Bengaluru instead.
Meanwhile, vehicular movement across Karnataka’s border with Tamil Nadu in Chamarajanagar has also been curtailed.
“We have erected check-posts on the seven roads connecting Karnataka with Tamil Nadu in Chamarajanagar. KSRTC buses are not being allowed to cross the border, but the passengers are alighting at the border and crossing over by foot to board other vehicles,” said Kuldip Kumar Jain, the district’s Superintendent of Police.
Though private vehicles too have been discouraged from crossing the border, the police are not banning them from inter-State travel. However, they are being informed that they are crossing the border at their own risk, a police officer said.
