Bengaluru Bandh: Likely suspension of KSRTC and BMTC services might hit travellers

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The 'Bengaluru Bandh' on September 26 is likely to have a significant impact on travellers in the city.

The bandh has been called by pro-Kannada outfits, political groups, and farmers' associations to protest the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) services are likely to be affected by the bandh, as the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation has extended its support to the bandh.

According to the Karnataka Transport Department, there are over 10.4 million registered vehicles in Bengaluru meaning that over 9.2 million people in Bengaluru own a private vehicle.

According to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), the average daily ridership of public transport in Bengaluru is around 3.8 million.

This means that around 3.8 million people in Bengaluru use public transport on a daily basis. In other words, there are more private vehicle owners in Bengaluru than public transport users.

This means that the bandh is likely to have a greater impact on public transport users than on private vehicle owners. The KSRTC and BMTC services are likely to be reduced or even suspended on the day of the bandh.

“Over 195 taluks in the state are facing drought due to lack of rain. The water in all the reservoirs in the state is not sufficient for use. The rain forecast is also not promising. In this situation, it is not possible to allow 5,000 cusecs of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu every day. Several political parties, pro-Kannada organisations and others across the state have already joined the struggle for justice,” a statement released by the KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation read.

The statement also called upon all BMTC employees to make the bandh successful without running any buses from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the state. This means that public transport users may have difficulty finding transportation to and from work, school, or other destinations.

The bandh is likely to lead to increased traffic congestion in the city, as more people will be using private vehicles due to the reduced public transport services. this will also become an advantage for private vehicle owners as there might be more demand for their services and might charge higher fares on the day of the bandh, due to the increased demand for transportation.

This means that travellers travelling from different cities or trying may have to pay more for transportation on the day of the bandh. Although the number of private vehicle users outnumbers the number of public transport users in the city, the users of public transport are solely dependent on BMTC or KSRTC buses for their transportation needs, and this bandh will affect them adversely.

On September 11, there was a Bengaluru Bandh where private transport businesses demanded compensation from the government for the losses they incurred due to the Shakti Scheme.

The police promised to protect people who continued to work, but there were several incidents of people attacking vehicles that were still operating, especially Tamil Nadu buses. The police rejected 13 cases in the city on September 11.

Travellers who are planning to travel on September 26 are advised to plan their travel carefully and to allow extra time for their journey. They should also consider using alternative modes of transportation.