JOIN USThe City police are on a high alert in the wake of ‘Bangalore bandh’ called by various organisations on Thursday against the increasing incidents of rape.
However, the public transport authorities as well as autorickshaw and taxi unions have said that they would function normally despite the bandh call. Besides, the Education department has announced that there will be no holiday for schools on Thursday.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar said that apart from the existing forces, an additional 20 platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police and around 1,000 Home Guards and City Armed Reserve forces will be deployed on Thursday. Senior police officials will also be supervising the security arrangements. A senior police officer said that surveillance had been mounted on antisocial elements.
Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin told Deccan Herald that the Education department was not declaring a holiday on Thursday. Bangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof B Thimme Gowda said he had not received any intimation from the government in this regard. “We will wait till tomorrow. Since tomorrow is a working day, we will receive information from the government in case we are required to declare a holiday. As of now, no decision has been taken,” he said. If the university has to declare a holiday, then any examination scheduled for that day will be pushed to a later date, he added.
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences too is yet to take a call.
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation Managing Director Anjum Parvez said that buses will ply as usual on July 31, and in case of any untoward incidents, they would seek the police help.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said the Metro train services will not be disrupted.
Representatives of the autorickshaw drivers’ union and the taxi drivers’ union said they would not support the bandh. They, however, added that it was up to individual drivers to take a call on whether to join the bandh or not.