Bengaluru, Apr 7: Normal life was affected across Karnataka as the strike called by the workers of the road transport corporations brought to halt the operation of bus services, leaving commuters with no option but to pay hefty fares for alternative arrangements.
The state government threatened to invoke Essential Services Management Act (Esma) to force the employees back to work. However, officials on Wednesday were yet to issue any communication in this regard.
In coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, government buses remained off the roads. None of the drivers and conductors reported to duty today, though in some bus stations a few passengers were seen waiting for the buses.
In Bengaluru, commuters who came to bus stations waited more than an hour in the hope of boarding alternative private buses or cabs arranged by the government. However, except for a handful of major routes, alternative arrangements were absent.
However, the number of commuters in bus stations was less compared to regular days. The crowded bus terminals at Yeshwantpur, Mysore Road, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar and Banashankari had less than half the usual crowd. However, in a rare occurrence, the terminals played host to private buses whose presence nearby had previously prompted officials to write to the transport commissioner.
The travelling public seemed to have shifted to autorickshaws, taxi and other modes realising the futility of waiting in terminals. However, thousands who can't shell out hefty fares decided to wait for the alternative arrangements promised by the government.
The state government threatened to invoke Essential Services Management Act (Esma) to force the employees back to work. However, officials on Wednesday were yet to issue any communication in this regard.
Meanwhile, the BMTC, KSRTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC have invoked the 'no work, no pay' principle and decided to cut salaries of those who fail to turn up for work.
On their part, the protesting workers heeded the advice of their honorary president Kodihalli Chandrashekhar and avoided taking to the streets for protests, to avoid violation of Covid-19 guidelines.
The workers have decided not to give up their struggle without getting salary on par with 6th pay commission recommendations. The government, however, has offered only an 8% increase in existing salaries with the chief secretary ruling out any more negotiations with the protesters.
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