Transport utility staff stir leaves commuters stranded

Buses stoned at many places; pvt operators make a fast buck

Commuters were put to hardship in most parts of the state due the transport strike on Monday, except in districts where private operators ply more buses than government ones.

Miscreants stoned buses in many places, causing losses to the state-run road transport corporations.

Five buses were damaged at Shahapur, Narayanpur and Koudimutt in Yadgir district. Driver Chandrakanth suffered injuries to his shoulder in one such incident when stones were thrown at a bus plying from Ballari to Aland.

Stones were thrown at three buses - one headed to Hyderabad, another coming from there and one belonging to the Kushtagi depot in Koppal district, damaging window panes.

Bike-borne miscreants threw stones at six buses, damaging the glass window panes, in Ballari.

Buses stayed off the roads in Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar districts. Miscreants threw stones at buses in Hassan district. A Rajahamsa bus, belonging to the Ramanagaram depot, was bound for Bengaluru from Subramanya, when three KSRTC employees threw stones at it on the Hassan bypass road on Sunday night. Another bus was damaged at Ankanayakanahalli, Arkalgud taluk, Hassan district.

Three buses belonging to the Madikeri depot were damaged in stone-pelting by miscreants. A Bengaluru-Madikeri route bus was damaged near Holenarsipur (Hassan district), while a Hubballi-Madikeri bus was damaged in Hassan.

The Bengaluru-Madikeri bus was stoned near Hunsur (Mysuru district). Barring the Madikeri-Kushalnagar route, inter-city transport was not affected on other routes in the district, as private buses operate there.

Trains plying between Mysuru and Bengaluru were jam-packed. Commuters relied on private buses and cabs in Tumakuru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts. Two buses, belonging to the Pavagad and Turuvekere depots in Tumakuru district, were damaged in stone throwing by miscreants in Hassan.

The strike was largely peaceful in Kalaburagi district barring a minor incident where three people - a security guard, an assistant accountant and a havaldar - were beaten up by union members for not participating in the strike at the NEKRTC central office.

Passengers, especially those coming from outside the state and rural areas, were the worst affected as they were unaware of the strike.

The road transport corporations of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been requested to ply buses on 436 additional routes. Permission has been given to private vehicles to ply on scheduled routes of government buses.

Eight buses were stoned by miscreants in Chikkamagaluru district on Sunday night. Some taxi operators had started charging Rs 1,000 per person travelling towards Bengaluru and Rs 500 for Hassan-bound people. It was only after the police intervened on Monday that they slashed the fares.

The strike had less impact in Udupi district, where a good number of private buses operate.

In neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district, people in the villages bore the brunt. The strike did not affect Mangaluru city as a large number of private buses operate there.

In Raichur district, four buses were damaged in Sindhanur taluk. Stones were thrown at two buses each in Ballari and Siraguppa taluks of Ballari district.

Drivers of alternative transport vehicles charged double in Dharwad district. But, private buses came to the rescue of commuters between Hubballi and Dharwad.

Bike-borne youths threw stones on a bus heading towards Sagar from Mysuru at Harige on the outskirts of Shivamogga city on Sunday night. Window panes were damaged. Three stone pelting incidents were reported in Sagar taluk. With the dominance of private buses in Shivamogga district, commuters were not affected much.