Buses of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) are unlikely to operate on Thursday, following a nationwide protest against the provisions of the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014.
A source in the KSRTC said that problems are expected in the operation of buses on Thursday. The KSRTC management has sent circulars to the staff appealing them to work. But since it is a nationwide strike, the corporation cannot predict what the scenario will be like.
According to a BMTC source, the management will function but the staff will not, so buses may not be operated. BMTC Managing Director Ekroop Caur said, “We will try to work.”
Autorickshaws will be off roads. Ola and TaxiForSure said they would watch the situation on Wednesday and decide whether or not to operate cabs.
K.G. Ravindra, vice-president, Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners’ and Association, said, “We are running our cabs. We are not against the Bill.” The association operates one lakh cabs and maxi-cabs to employees of corporate companies all over Bengaluru.
However, trains in the South Western Railways, Bengaluru Division, will function normally.
Clement Jayakumar, a resident of Whitefield, said that the protest would create problems for those using BMTC buses to commute to work. He said, “It’s unfair to hold the public to ransom for any reason. They should hold dialogues with stakeholders to bring about change”.
The KSRTC management has termed the April 30 strike “illegal” and urged employees not to participate in it.
In a circular, KSRTC Managing Director Rajender Kumar Kataria said the State government and Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) have taken several measures to oppose the Bill, which is detrimental to the public transport sector in general and RTCs in particular.
