Karnataka transport union strike hits daily life, Bengaluru Metro sees heavy rush

India Today

10 hours ago

The ongoing indefinite strike by employees of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations (KSRTC) has led to widespread disruption of bus services across the state, with a sharp increase in commuters turning to Namma Metro in Bengaluru.The impact of the bandh has been particularly evident at the Majestic Metro Station, where a heavy rush of passengers was reported on Tuesday, as limited services by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) left many commuters with few options.advertisementVisuals from the city's Shivajinagar Bus Stand show a few buses plying as usual. Inter-city bus services remain largely unaffected. However, the transport strike has severely impacted inter-state and intra-state bus operations, leaving many passengers stranded.
Public transport services have been severely affected in several parts of Karnataka including Hubballi, Davanagere, Hoskote, Bagalkote, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagara. Bus operations towards the Kalyana Karnataka and North-West Karnataka regions have come to a complete halt, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or forced to seek alternate modes of transport. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, 'In Bengaluru, 100 per cent of buses are plying on the roads. In the districts, about 50 per cent of services are running and officials expect the situation to normalise by the afternoon.'He further said, 'A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Karnataka High Court regarding the strike. A hearing is scheduled for today, after which the government has said it will decide on further action.'Responding to criticism from the Opposition, Minister Reddy said the BJP had left the transport department saddled with a Rs 4,000 crore loan during their tenure. 'They never bought a single bus or recruited any driver or conductor. Now they are spreading lies,' he said.In response to the growing disruption caused by the strike, the state government has issued precautionary measures to minimise public inconvenience. In a letter dated August 2, Dr NV Prasad, Principal Secretary of the Transport Department, requested the Department of Information Technology to advise all private IT companies in Karnataka—particularly those in Bengaluru—to allow employees to work from home during the strike period. The government said the advisory aims to ease pressure on the transport network and ensure continuity of services during a time of limited mobility.The ongoing strike stems from a deadlock in negotiations between the Karnataka government and transport corporation employees. Talks held on Monday, including a two-hour meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, ended without resolution on the key issues of wage revision and arrears. The unions are demanding a 25 per cent hike over the current base pay of Rs 1,124, and arrears for 38 months—estimated at Rs 1,800 crore.While the Chief Minister appealed to the unions to withdraw the strike and offered to clear arrears for 14 months, union leaders refused, insisting on payment for the full period and an immediate start to wage revision talks. 'We worked all 38 months. This is not a fresh financial burden,' said HV Anantha Subbarao, president of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Staff and Workers Federation. He added that the issue had effectively narrowed to 24 months' arrears worth around Rs 1,000 crore.advertisementSiddaramaiah, however, termed the current demands excessive, noting that the previous government had already agreed to a 15 per cent hike and arrears from January 2022 to February 2023. 'Asking for 38 months now is not reasonable,' he said, citing the transport corporations' poor financial state. The CM reiterated the government's willingness to hold further talks, with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and other officials present at the meeting.- EndsWith inputs from Nagarjun Dwarakanath
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