JOIN USThe 108 ambulance services in the State received an additional 155 requests to attend to medical emergency services on Thursday, when compared to any other day.
The services, provided by EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute), received over 1,269 calls for ambulances in the State. According to the EMRI spokesperson, the demand was more owing to suspension of other modes of transport on roads.
“During emergencies, people do not always wait for an ambulance. They opt for which ever mode of transport that is immediately available. Since the bandh kept most of the vehicles off the roads, there was maximum requests for our services,” he said.
Shifting patients in the auto rickshaws was the last thing on the minds of their kin.
A five-year-old girl developed convulsions and fainted at the Majestic bus stand in the morning. She was shifted to the nearest hospital in the 108 ambulance. Deserted roads were a boon to the ambulance drivers. As a precautionary measure, most of the ambulances were stationed at the police stations, the spokesperson added.
Indifferent
Golam Shaifullah, who runs a hardware store, was among the 10 bike owners who had queued up in a petrol bunk at Trinity Circle at 8 am on Thursday.
As his turn came, he said “100 rupees,” indicating to the bunk employee to fill the tank of his bike with petrol worth Rs 100. About 7-km away in KR Puram, Prabhakar, manager of BMTC depot 24, was busy at the police station. He was lodging a complaint about unidentified persons torching a bus belonging to his depot earlier in the day – about 3.45 am.
Sriramappa, the driver of the bus, who was inside it when the miscreants lit the fire, was recovering from the shock.
The day progressed casually for those who owned private vehicles like Golam. They were upset with the hike in petrol prices, but they remained aloof from the bandh.
Deprived of earnings
Busy areas like Shivajinagar and Commercial Street in the vicinity wore a dull look and the shut market places deprived many of the day’s earnings. Shops were closed at the City Market, KR Puram market and the Yeshwantpur APMC Yard. All in all, the bandh was total, but the general population remained indifferent.