Karnataka transport strike: All you need to know after Day one
Day one of the Karnataka transport strike resulted in a revenue loss of Rs20-22 crore to the exchequer, according to senior officials
Bengaluru: Public transport remains suspended in Karnataka since Monday, thanks to an indefinite strike by government-run transport corporations, which has affected thousands of daily commuters.
Talks so far have yielded no results, and transport unions have refused to call off the strike until their demands are met.
Over 1.2 lakh workers and 23,000 buses belonging to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Road Transport Corporation (BMTC), North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) and North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) remain off roads.
Workers’ demands
The workers have 41 demands, including a wage hike of 35%, a 15% hike in daily allowances, a comprehensive medical scheme, rationalisation of working hours and regulation of transfer of employees.
Ramalinga Reddy, Karnataka transport minister, said on Monday that a 30% increase in wages would cost the state exchequer at least ₹ 4,500 crore and the state could not afford it.
He reiterated that the government was ready to give a 10% hike, at a cost of ₹ 1,500 crore. But the unions have not softened their stand.
Rajender Kumar Kataria, managing director of KSRTC, said they were trying to resolve the matter, but added that the current demands were not reasonable.
Financial impact
Day one of the strike resulted in a revenue loss of ₹ 20-22 crore to the exchequer, according to senior officials of state transport corporations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. However, they added that the loss was contained as the government saved on fuel costs, salaries and consumables, amounting to almost 80% of the operations cost of ₹ 16-17 crore.
Providing a rough break-up of the losses, Kataria said that KSRTC’s loss was ₹ 8 crore, BMTC’s was ₹ 6 crore, while NEKRTC and NWKRTC clocked a loss of ₹ 4 crore each.
Impact on state capital
Nearly 1.25 crore passengers across the state were stranded due to non-availability of services and lack of any alternative.
With no public mass transport alternative in Bengaluru, people relied on personal vehicles, private buses provided by companies, auto-rickshaws and private cabs, including aggregators.
The state government declared a two-day holiday for schools and colleges to minimize the impact of the strike.
“There are many regions across the state where private buses operate. We have given them instructions not to charge excessively to ensure that basic public transport is available to them," Kataria said.
Already notorious for excess charging, auto-rickshaws were charging at least two to three times the normal fares on Monday. Many commuters vented their anger on Twitter: “Auto guys asking 500 rs. For 10 kms. It’s their day of glory," Prachi Dange tweeted on Monday.
Bengaluru Traffic Police said over 1,972 cases were booked against auto drivers and 158 auto rickshaws seized.
On Monday, over 1.6 lakh people used the metro. Metro officials said frequency of trains were increased to 5 minutes from around 10 minutes. However, it failed to have the desired impact as the metro is a fixed line service that connects only around 30km of the 824 sq. km city of Bengaluru.
#BusStrike was trending on Twitter as there were similar strikes in Durban, South Africa and Leeds, UK.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!