Lack of buses left public in lurch

Employees couldn’t attend  work while fliers were jittery over missing flights due to absence of public conveyance to reach the Bengaluru International Airport. Lalith Kumar, a businessman who was supposed to catch a flight at 4 pm, said he had to convince a two-wheeler rider near a bus stop to drop him to the airport. 

With over 50 per cent of  Bangalore’s population depending on the buses, a lot of people, including children and aged, suffered inconvenience as they were stranded in various parts of the City.

BMTC Managing Director Syed Zameer Pasha told Deccan Herald: “We had to withdraw services as about 70 buses were damaged, causing an estimated loss of Rs seven lakh.”
Result: the average auto fare jumped by at least 100 per cent over the minimum fare and in some cases more, and the average taxi rate to the airport varied between Rs 1,050 and Rs 1,500.

The KSRTC buses also remained off the roads. Even those arriving from outside the City were delayed by more than six hours.

Seven KSRTC buses were damaged in Bangalore, Mangalore, Bhadravathi and Chintamani, and another was set on fire at Hosahalli near Shimoga, sources said.

500 held, released

More than 500 BJP workers, including women, elected representatives and a few ministers, were arrested and released after a while. Though the City  wore a deserted look, a few schools in Sultan Palya and R T Nagar conducted Sports Day without any hindrance.

City Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari told reporters that the police had to resort to lathicharge in a few areas when the protesters violated prohibitory orders. The orders will be in force till Monday midnight. Security has been stepped up, and CAR staff and 35 platoons of KSRP have been deployed.

Unusual day at hospitals

Many hospitals in the City reported nearly 50 per cent decline in out-patient cases.
Some of the hospitals received only patients sustaining injuries in bundh-related violence.

A protester in Chikkasandra was injured when he was fleeing after throwing stones. He was admitted to K C General Hospital in Malleshwaram.

Three more such cases were reported at Bowring and Victoria Hospitals. Officials at Bowring Hospital and Jayanagar General Hospital said all the doctors were on duty and leaves were cancelled.