No KSRTC, BMTC buses, autos to ply on Bengaluru roads on April 30th

KSRTC and BMTC buses will ply as usual in the night, after the strike. Auto unions are supporting the strike. Trains however will run as usual.

KSTC buses will ply as usual after 6pm. Pic: Pavan Kulkarni

With Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Staff and Workers’ Federation calling for a day-long strike opposing the provisions of the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015, KSRTC and BMTC buses will remain off road in Bengaluru on Thursday (April 30th).

Confirming the strike call to Citizen Matters, Staff and Workers’ Federation General Secretary H V Anantha Subba Rao said that the strike will last for 12 hours, from 6 am to 6 pm. “As many as 1,20,000 employees of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) and North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), have supported the strike call given by the Federation. We have decided not to operate the buses in support of the nation-wide strike call given by 54 public road transport corporations across the country,” he said.

KSRTC buses will ply at night

Elaborating the reason for the strike call, he said the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015, will ring death knell to the state transport undertakings. The Bill intends to privatise road transportation in India, which may pave way for inviting global tenders from private corporations. It will eventually liquidate the public transportation that has served the people for decades. Absence of level playing field will lead to the closure of state run road transport corporations, he feared.

That apart, he assured that the buses will ply as usual at night. “Over 42,000 seats have been pre-booked in KSRTC for Thursday night, and we do not want to disturb the public who have planned their week end in advance,” he said. However, general public are advised to leave their homes early to catch the buses, as traffic jams are likely to occur after the end of strike.

Due to the overload of bookings, KSRTC has arranged for extra night buses on the weekend, which will ply without any problem.

Meanwhile, the KSRTC management has issued a circular to the Federation requesting the staff work as usual, but the request has been outrightly rejected by the Federation.

Autorickshaws too will remain off road opposing the Bill, whereas taxis are likely to operate as the Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owner’s Association has not supported the strike call. Trains will ply as usual.

Various exams that were scheduled for April 30th, including Common Entrance Test (CET) have been postponed due to the strike. CET has been re-scheduled for May 12th and 13th.

Related Articles

KSRTC plies extra buses this weekend, boarding points changed

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Pedals of change: Chennai’s shift to a sustainable mobility future

Prioritising bicycles over cars and promoting the use of public transport can increase Chennai's sustainability quotient.

The transformation of Chennai, from a trading post entrenched in the bylanes of Fort St. George, to a bustling metropolis with gleaming skyscrapers along the historic Mahabalipuram road underscores its economic progress and growth. The visionaries of the city exhibited exemplary foresight in establishing an extensive road network and suburban train systems that set a precedent for the future. The city’s continued investment in the Metro Rail, connecting important nodes of the city, is encouraging use of public transport. As per the Ease of Moving Index — Chennai City Profile report, Chennai leads the way with the highest mass transit…

Similar Story

ORR-Sarjapura gridlock: Govt, IT sector, commuters must collaborate for solutions

About 7 lakh commute to ORR-Bellandur; between 75,000 and 1 lakh live on and around Sarjapura, facing transport and infrastructure challenges.

The traffic congestion at Outer Ring Road (ORR)-Sarjapura Road has been a long-standing issue. To address this, Citizen Matters held a panel discussion, ‘Solving Sarjapura-ORR Gridlock’ on February 26th. Moderated by Meera K, co-founder of Citizen Matters, the panel included G T Prabhakar Reddy, Chief Traffic Manager, BMTC; Vivekanand Kotikalapudi, Urban Mobility Advisor; Mukund Kumar, Managing Trustee, Iblur Environs Trust; and Srinivas Alavilli, Fellow- Integrated Transport and Road Safety, WRI India.  Sarjapura Road is an integral connection to the IT corridor of south-east Bengaluru. ORR is completely developed with a focus on tech parks. There is currently a surge in…