Bharat Bandh to cripple life in Karnataka; Tight security in place

Bengaluru, Jan 07: As ten trade unions and some associations geared up for a nationwide stir against the Centre's alleged anti-labour policies on Wednesday, a Karnataka minister said tight security will be in place to prevent a forced shutdown.

"Schools and colleges will remain open on Wednesday. There will be elaborate security arrangements to prevent those who would compel people for a forced shutdown," Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said.

Trade union sources said a march of trade union members will be taken out from Town Hall to Freedom Park as part of the stir besides demonstrations would be staged at different parts of the city. Autorickshaw, taxi unions and some factions in the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation have not backed the strike.

The Bengaluru Auto-Taxi Sangathanegala Okkoota, a consortium of 12 unions of auto and taxi drivers, has decided not to support the strike.

"Our unions are not in anyway connected to the government and private employees. Our challenges are different," Okkoota president M Manjunath told PTI.

"If we go on strike, we will lose our one-day earnings," he added. Ola-Uber Drivers and Owners Association president Tanveer Pasha too said taxi services of cab aggregators will operate as usual. "Our moral support to the Bandh is there but we are not stopping our services," Pasha told PTI.

A member of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, which is among the trade unions organising the strike, said they have been trying to persuade the BMTC and KSRTC members to support the strike. Trade unions INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC along with various sectoral independent federations and associations are taking part in the nationwide srike.