Bengaluru Bandh: Why city will see over 7 lakh vehicles remain off the road today

People in Bengaluru and travelling to the Garden City should brace themselves for traffic troubles. Commuters will face troubles travelling in and around the city as the private taxi and bus associations have called for a Bengaluru Bandh today (11 September).The ‘bandh’ called by the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations will continue until Monday midnight, inconveniencing lakhs and lakhs of people in the city, who have to travel to work and schools. The federation will also hold a protest march from the city’s Majestic area to the Freedom Park today.As the city braces itself for Monday Blues, here’s a look at the reason behind the bandh and how the city will be affected.Why is there a Bengaluru Bandh?The Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Associations, comprising a total of 32 private transport associations, called for the bandh on Sunday, stating that the government has not heeded their demands.Their main grouse is against the government’s Shakti scheme – that offers free bus rides to women on state-run transport buses that began in June – and a ban on bike taxis. They argue that the free bus rides to women have killed their business and hence, they want to be included in the programme.Chairman of the federation S Nataraj Sharma earlier told The Economic Times, “Around 30-35 per cent private buses in Karnataka are not running right now. The private bus sector, which has eight lakh employees across the state, will soon have to start letting people go for want of business.”[caption id="attachment_13109662" align="alignnone" width="640"] The private transport unions are unhappy with the government's Shakti scheme that offers free rides to women on state buses. They want to be added to the scheme. File image/PTI[/caption]He added that initially they thought the free rides would be a phase with commuters, but that has not been the case. “In the beginning, we assumed that the sheen of the free rides would wear off after a while. But we can see that it is not stopping; the number of women opting for free transport isn’t going down, even if the state transport buses are overcrowded and uncomfortable,” he was quoted as saying to Economic Times.The Shakti Scheme has resulted in a nearly 40 per cent drop in business for private taxis, buses, autos and taxis.The association claims that despite raising these issues with the government repeatedly, the authorities have ignored their pleas and hence, the bandh was called for Monday. “Our intention is not to cause inconvenience to the public. All we want is the government to fulfil our demands. We will not withdraw our protest until our demands are met,” Nataraj Sharma was quoted as telling The New Indian Express.How will the bandh affect the city?As part of the Bengaluru Bandh, about seven to 10 lakh vehicles, including autos, taxis, airport taxis, maxi cabs, goods vehicles, school vehicles, also stage carriages, contract carriages and corporate buses, are off the roads today.In view of airport cabs being a part of the Bengaluru bandh, the Bengaluru airport has also issued an advisory. The airport has asked its passengers to plan their travel to and from the airport accordingly as due to the strike there might be disruption in operation of taxis, maxi cabs, private buses, and auto rickshaws.Vistara airline has also advised its customers travelling from Bengaluru today to allow more time for their journey to the airport as the private transport associations have called a bandh. “Due to the Bengaluru Bandh on 11 September, 2023, private transport might be disrupted. Customers travelling from Bangalore are advised to allow more time for their journey to the airport,” Vistara posted on social media platform X.The Bengaluru Traffic Police has also issued an advisory, informing commuters of what roads to take and which to avoid. As per the advisory, the police have asked the public to avoid KG Road, Sheshadri Road, GT Road and roads around Freedom Park and Majestic Bus stand.The advisory further mentions, “Vehicle coming from RR Junction towards Khodays circle: move towards to Krishna floor mill and proceed towards Malleshwaram. Vehicles coming from Goodshed road proceed towards G T Road via Sangolli Rayanna circle to reach Okalipuram and proceed towards Sujatha Theatre. Vehicles coming from Ananda Rao circle should move towards Old JDS office road and reach Sheshadripuram Road. Vehicles coming from Mysuru Bank circle, proceed towards Palace road towards Maharani junction underpass and go towards Basaveshwara circle.”[caption id="attachment_13109552" align="alignnone" width="640"] Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption]Many schools and other educational institutions have also called for a day off in Bengaluru owing to the call for the bandh. However, there are some who have opted to remain open and maintain their exam schedule. For instance, Bengaluru City University, Bangalore University and Bangalore North University that have its undergraduate exams will be held as usual. Officials said there has been no directive from the government and most university students rely on BMTC/KSRTC buses for commute.“Most schools are working. Only those that are heavily dependent on private operators have called for a holiday. At the same time, we stand in support of the private operators as they also face similar problems like us,” D Shashi Kumar, secretary, Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka told Times of India.However, the state authorities have assured commuters that government transportation will run smoothly and bridge the gap. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy assured that Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses have been arranged to avoid inconvenience to the public. “We have arranged BMTC buses for school-going children, office-going people and for those going to hospitals. BMTC has arranged around 500 extra buses. Nothing will happen. They (private transport) are going for a strike, let them, they have the right to do so,” Reddy was quoted as saying by ANI.Reddy furthermore instructed officials to deploy state transport buses in case there are schools or colleges that have organised examinations today.With inputs from agencies