The Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will resume Bengaluru services only after tension eases in Karnataka.
Violent protests in Karnataka over the Cauvery issue forced the KSRTC to abandon services from Bengaluru on Monday. Around 40 buses conducting regular and special services are held up in three bus stations in Bengaluru.
Around 2,000 pre-booked passengers are among those affected by the standoff. The cancelled services include the Scania service to Alappuzha and five Volvo services.
The state’s buses stationed in Bengaluru – at the Mysuru Road Satellite Bus Station, Santhinagar Bus Station and Peenya Satellite bus station – are reported to be safe, according to KSRTC managing director Antony Chacko.
On Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had promised Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan police protection to conduct convoy services. But the idea was dropped after the Kerala Police warned about the risk of conducting services through violence-hit areas.
Quoting his deputies in Bengaluru, Antony Chacko said the situation was grim at Mysuru Road Satellite Bus Station, from where a good majority of Kerala services start. KSRTC also runs a reservation counter there.
“The spread of violence to more areas, including the midway point Mandya, forced us to drop the idea of conducting services in police convoy. Another suggestion to operate buses along the Hosur-Salem route too was turned down owing to safety concerns,” he said. Two Mysuru-bound buses that started from Kozhikode and Sulthan Bathery abandoned services midway on Monday. However, services along the Kasargod-Mangaluru route are normal, the KSRTC said. The cancellation of services will result in a huge revenue loss to the KSRTC.
