Normal life was disrupted across Karnataka as the strike called by the workers of the road transport corporations brought to halt the operation of bus services, leaving commuters with no option but to pay hefty fares for alternative arrangements.
The state government threatened to invoke Essential Services Management Act (Esma) to force the employees back to work. However, officials on Wednesday were yet to issue any communication in this regard.
Meanwhile, the BMTC, KSRTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC have invoked the 'no work, no pay' principle and decided to cut salaries of those who fail to turn up for work.
On their part, the protesting workers heeded the advice of their honorary president Kodihalli Chandrashekhar and avoided taking to the streets for protests, to avoid violation of the Covid-19 guidelines.
What we know
The workers have decided not to give up their struggle without getting salary on par with 6th pay commission recommendations. The government, however, has offered only an 8% increase in existing salaries with the chief secretary ruling out any more negotiations with the protesters.
The B S Yediyurappa administration on Tuesday warned Road Transport Corporation employees of strict action if they went ahead with the strike.
"The government will not negotiate any more. Employees should return to work," Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar said, following a meeting with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.
While the government has fulfilled eight of the nine demands of the labour unions, it cannot fulfil their demand of wages as per the 6th Pay Commission recommendations, on par with other government employees, Kumar said.
Private buses and maxi-cabs will be allowed to ply to allow passengers to commute. Other alternate arrangements will also be made to help travellers.
Kumar said that he had already written to the Election Commission to allow the government to implement an 8% revision of wages for transport employees, citing the strike call by them.
Services dirupted in Bengaluru
In Bengaluru, commuters who came to bus stations waited more than an hour in the hope of boarding alternative private buses or maxicabs arranged by the government. However, except for a handful of major routes, the alternative arrangement was absent.
However, the number of commuters in bus stations was less compared to regular days. The crowded bus terminals at Yashwanpur, Mysore Road, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar and Banashankari had less than half the usual crowd. However, in a very rare development, the terminals played host to the private buses whose presence nearby had previously prompted officials to write to the transport commissioner.
The travelling public seemed to have shifted to auto-rickshaws, taxis and other modes realising the futility of waiting in the terminals. However, thousands who can't shell out hefty fares decided to wait for the alternative arrangements promised by the government.
Across Karnataka, passengers stranded
Bus services across Karnataka were disrupted and bus stations wore a deserted look. Private buses, however, continued to ply. The situation is not different in other parts of the state. In some districts, cab and auto services are in high demand. A family including women and children which was on its way to Ilkal (Bagalkot district) from Panaji was stranded at Bagalkot bus stand. The movement of private buses has begun from the old bus stand at Hubballi. Private buses are also plying between the twin cities of Hubballi and Dharwad.
Mangaluru
The KSRTC buses remained off the road, following the indefinite stir called by the KSRTC employees in Mangaluru on Wednesday. All the buses to various destinations have been parked in the KSRTC bus stand at Bejai in Mangaluru.
A few passengers who were unaware of the strike had arrived at the bus stand and are waiting for the buses to reach their destination. Nagarj from Ilkal had arrived in Mangaluru for the educational needs of his son. “After completing the work, I stayed back on Tuesday to start the journey on Wednesday morning. Without the bus services, I remained stranded at the bus stand,” he told DH.
Also read: Mangaluru bus services hit by KSRTC strike
The RTO has issued temporary permits for the private buses, contract carriage vehicles, maxi cabs and mini buses to operate. Accordingly, the private buses have come forward to provide alternative public transport including on long routes like Mysuru.
As private buses are operating on all the routes in Udupi district, the passengers were unaffected by the strike called by KSRTC employees. The daily passengers travelling between Udupi and Mangaluru also remained unaffected following the operation by private buses. Only those who had planned their travel outside the district were affected in Udupi.
Raichur
Following the indefinite strike, the Central bus stand in Raichur city wore a deserted look on Wednesday as not even a single government bus was parked.
Instead of the bus stand, buses have been parked in the seven depots as not even a single driver or conductor reported for duty. Commuters are going to their destinations in jeeps, autorickshaws parked in front of the bus stand.
"We are convincing the drivers and conductors to attend for duty. Some have agreed to report for the duty by today evening", Raichur divisional controller Venkatesh. Buses from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are arriving in the district. A few passengers are going towards Karnool, Mantralaya and Mehboobnagar.
Shivamogga
Amid the strike call, private buses arrived at the KSRTC bus terminal in Shivamogga to ferry passengers on Wednesday. KSRTC bus terminal in charge Siddesh told DH that conductors and drivers boycotted their duty. But the officials are trying to convince them to report for duty. For the convenience of people, the district administration made private bus arrangements.
Major universities across Karnataka postponed examinations for undergraduate and postgraduate courses scheduled to be held on Wednesday due to the lack of public transport in the wake of the strike called by the workers of road transport corporations.
Kalaburagi
Although the NEKRTC buses were off the roads in Kalaburagi, with prior information about the strike, there were hardly any passengers in the bus stand. Private buses are being operated to Bidar, Humnabad and Ballari from Kalaburagi.
Meanwhile, Raichur Divisional Controller Venkatesh said that attempts were being made to convince drivers and conductors. “Some have agreed to report for the duty by today evening", he said. Buses from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are arriving in the district.
Hassan, Mandya, Chamarajanagar
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses stayed off the roads due to the statewide strike in Hassan, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts on Wednesday.
However, the private vehicles like maxi cabs, cabs and autorickshaws operated at all the districts, with the commuters made to pay more. It was a common scene to see the private operators exploiting the public making use of the situation. The KSRTC buses stayed off from Tuesday evening causing a lot of inconvenience to the public.