Buses go off roads in K'taka strike, people in distress

Bangalore, Sept 13: Thousands of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and

State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses went off the roads across Karnataka from early hours on Thursday as employees of transport corporations belonging to five different unions called an indefinite

.

The strike affected office-goers and school and college students and thousands were left stranded at bus stations across the capital on Thursday morning. Many had to arrange for alternate ways like personal vehicles, autorickshaws and private buses although the state government has banned operation of private buses in the state capital.

The employees called the strike demanding implementation of wage revision and regularisation of around 33,000 trainee staff members with the four road transport corporations in Karnataka. Over 6,000 BMTC and 8,000 KSRTC buses went off the roads as a result of the strike.

It can be mentioned that the strike had started on Wednesday evening, hours before the schedule, affecting several people, including the locals and those arriving in the city in the late evening.

The strike also took an ugly turn on Thursday morning after miscreants pelted stones at several government buses in the city. Twenty people were also arrested. The government although did not declare a holiday for schools and colleges but left the decision for the management bodies to make.

Raichur, Gulbarga, Kolar and Chikmagalur were also affected by the strike.

OneIndia News