Bengaluru Bandh: Cabs, autos, pvt buses to stay off road

BENGALURU: All those who depend on private buses, cabs and autos for their commute on Monday will be affected as more than 7 lakh vehicles will remain off the road. As the private school and van operators have also extended their support to the bandh, many schools have declared a holiday on Monday.

With the support of 36 private transport unions, the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations have called for a Bengaluru bandh from Sunday midnight to Monday midnight demanding the state government to fulfil their various demands – including compensation for the loss of revenue because of the roll-out of the Shakti scheme, providing tax exemption to private bus operators, regulating private app-based ride-hailing aggregators Ola and Uber, banning Rapido bike taxis and others.

The nominated president of the federation Nataraj Sharma told TNIE “The private transport sector in Karnataka is under distress and has been severely hit after the rollout of the Shakti scheme. We have lost over 40 per cent of the revenue to the scheme. Private vehicles will remain off-road from Sunday midnight till Monday midnight.”

Government should fulfil our demands and we not rest till then, Sharma said. He said that if the government do not budge then they will have to call for a state-wide bandh and take up other measures.
On Monday, the federation has planned for a mega rally starting from Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna railway station to Freedom Park, where they will sit in a day-long protest. Members of the federation are confident that the bandh will be successful as this time the drivers have campaigned among their community not to take their vehicles out.