Strike paralyzes Bengaluru; commuters struggle as transport services disrupted

Hameed Ashraf, Sowmya Raju & Chandra Prabhu

Bengaluru: Almost seven to 10 lakh vehicles reportedly remained off the road in the city during the bandh called by private transport unions on Monday.

However, the strike was withdrawn in the afternoon due to the intervention of the state Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy, during a meeting held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.

Members of private transport unions conducted a protest march from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway Station Road to Freedom Park. Several areas barely saw any autorickshaws, taxis, or school buses for several hours on Monday morning.

Commuting to and from the airport was also disrupted, leading passengers to rely on Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) 'Vajra' buses.

To maintain law and order, law enforcement officers and traffic police were deployed at various locations across the city. Most parents had to personally drop their children off at school due to the absence of school vans, and office-goers were also affected as corporate vans were not operational.

One bus conductor informed News Trail that private inter-state buses from Tamil Nadu were directed to drop passengers at Attibele due to concerns that those entering the city might face attacks.

However, traffic within the city flowed smoothly due to the significant absence of these vehicles, allowing space for individual and public transport, according to sources.

A coalition of approximately 36 unions, known as the Karnataka State Private Transport Association, organized this shutdown in response to their unmet demands.

Nataraj Sharma, the nominated president of the association, expressed their grievances, which included demands related to app aggregators and financing for drivers.

He claimed that app aggregators disrespected their drivers by taking almost 50 percent of their earnings, and he urged the government to introduce regulations to address this issue.

Their additional demands encompassed the establishment of a mobile Indira Canteen at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), zero-interest financing options for drivers, and a ban on app-based bike taxis due to their alleged illegal operation.

The protest took a dramatic turn when Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited the site, eliciting mixed responses from the crowd. He pledged to consider some of the unions' demands and announced plans for the government to establish a separate development corporation for drivers, launch an Indira Canteen at the airport, and introduce government-owned aggregator apps.

Minister Reddy also stated that addressing the demand for low-interest rate loans would be explored once the development corporation for drivers was established. Regarding the demand for permits for vehicles with yellow registration plates, he noted that this fell within the purview of the central government.

"We have called off the strike after we received assurance from the Transport Minister. Three demands which are yet to be cleared are related to the finance ministry, for which the Transport Minister said he will set up a delegation and see if those demands can be met or not,” Nataraj Sharma said later.

However, if a written assurance is not granted by Tuesday evening, the Federation has warned the government of sitting on a hunger strike in front of the Transport department from Wednesday onwards. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that some of the demands by private transporters', are "impossible demands" and cannot be met.

"In a democracy, we cannot put restrictions on bandhs and protests. They are the essence of democracy but they should be held peacefully that's all," he said in response to a question on private transporters' bandh in Bengaluru.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, the CM said he and the Transport Minister have heard their demands, "but if they keep impossible demands, it cannot be met."

"We have implemented Shakti scheme (free transport for women in public transport buses), they are saying that -- they are facing problems because of it, as women are not going to private buses -- and so are asking the government to bear those losses, can that be done? It is practically not possible, the scheme is for the benefit of women," he said, adding that whether they are facing loss or not is a different matter.

Drivers, commuters attacked, vehicles damaged

Private cab drivers, appbased auto-rickshaws, and bike taxi drivers found operating on the roads faced forceful stoppages and attacks by protestors at various locations in the city.

According to the police, victims whose vehicles were damaged during the bandh have filed complaints, leading to the d