Bengaluru travellers stranded after govt hires 4500 buses for PM's event: Report

Local travellers were once again hit by VIP culture as the ruling BJP in Karnataka hired thousands of government buses for PM Modi's events in Bengaluru, a report said.

Passengers using public buses in Bengaluru were inconvenienced Friday due to prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to the city; 4,500 buses were hired by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to ferry crowds to and from events and several trains were diverted/cancelled.

The Basavaraj Bommai-led government in Karnataka reportedly hired 2,400 BMTC buses and 2,100 KSRTC buses for PM Modi's events. ((Photo by Samuel Rajkumar/ Hindustan Times))

The Times of India said operations from the city's Majestic Bus Terminus - the busiest transport hub - had been suspended between 10 am and noon because Modi was to flag off the Vande Bharat Express from the nearby KSR Railway station.

Moreover, several KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporatino inter-state buses terminated their trips at Goraguntepalya on Tumakuru Road instead of their usual final stops.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai's government reportedly hired 2,400 BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses and 2,100 KSRTC buses for PM Modi's events.

This was after a controversial (and now withdrawn) circular from the Pre-University (PU) Education department mandating students of government, aided and private PU colleges to compulsorily attend the prime minister's event in buses organised by them.

Reports said there was no prior information about the changes in bus operations on Friday, which left locals stranded at various stops. Officials told the Times of India they expect reduced demand on Friday, as it is Kanakadasa Jayanthi and a public holiday.

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Bengaluru's BMTC is short on drivers, with over a thousand buses lying inoperative. Local travellers were also prohibited by traffic police from commuting via several streets around the Kempegowda International Airport on Friday ahead of PM Modi's arrival.

Furthermore, those traveling by train were also affected.

The South Western Railway (SWR) shared details of a number of trains that were cancelled, diverted or rescheduled on Friday amid South India's first Vande Bharat Express train's launch by PM Modi.