K'taka govt to deploy 10,000 buses for poll duty, public to suffer

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: With the state assembly elections in Karnataka just a few weeks away, the Karnataka government has announced plans to deploy over 10,000 government buses for election duty.

The BMTC and KSRTC buses have already been booked by the state government as part of their election preparations. The government buses will be used for election-related work as well as for the drop-off and pick-up of staff from various departments, including the Police Department, BBMP, RTO, and Transport Departments.

According to an official from KSRTC, this is a routine happening during every election, and the buses have been booked only for May 9 and 10. However, other sources have claimed that over 1000 buses have already been taken by political parties for their election campaigns. It has been reported that 3,700 buses have been booked for the elections on May 9 and 10.

When asked about the inconvenience caused to the public due to the reduced number of buses, the KSRTC official stated that the election is an important time, and travellers should adjust and plan ahead. The official also said that there has not been an increase in ticket bookings for the election week. However, a person at the booking booth at the Shanti Nagar Bus Terminus claimed otherwise, stating that they have seen an increase in ticket bookings.

An independent researcher, Pravin B Sharan, criticised the decision to use government buses for elections, saying it is unfair to hinder the public. He added that BMTC buses are already less in number and infrequent, and choosing them should be the last resort. Private bus companies have taken advantage of the high demand for buses and have increased ticket prices by 40% or even tripled fares.