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Transport association declares Bengaluru bandh on September 11
The members of the federation have also planned a march route stretching from KSR Bengaluru railway station to Freedom Park
The Federation of the Karnataka State Private Transport Association, representing 32 transport unions, has declared a citywide bandh in Bengaluru on September 11, officials familiar with the matter said. The development comes in response to the transport department’s inability to address their 28 demands within the stipulated deadline of August 31.
According to the federation, approximately nine lakh private commercial vehicles, including auto-rickshaws, airport taxis, maxi cabs, corporate vehicles, and buses, are set to stay off the roads in Bengaluru on September 11.
The members of the federation have also planned a march route stretching from KSR Bengaluru railway station to Freedom Park.
Earlier, transport unions had held discussions with state transport minister Ramalinga Reddy on July 24, just three days before they initially scheduled a protest for July 27. At that time, Reddy had assured them that 28 out of their 30 demands would be met by the end of August, leading the federation to call off their planned protest. However, with the transport department falling short of their expectations once again, the federation has decided to initiate a full-fledged city shutdown.
“We submitted a list of 30 demands to the Karnataka Transport minister and were promised that 28 of them would be fulfilled by August 30. However, the government has once again disregarded our needs,” said Natraj Sharma, the president of the Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association.
The federation claimed that autos, cabs and private buses operating in the state pay more than ₹2,000 crore in all in the form of direct taxes and nearly ₹20,000 crore in the form of indirect taxes while purchasing diesel, vehicle spare parts and tyres among others, every year.
The federation has complained that they have lost more than 40% of their revenue after the launch of the Shakti scheme, which has been offering free travel to women across the state in non-premium government buses since June 11.
“We have patiently awaited action for over a month since our initial meeting with Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy on July 24, hoping for compensation. Relying on the transport minister’s commitment to resolving all our issues, we postponed our call for the Bengaluru bandh on July 27. However, this time, there is no room for reconsideration,” Sharma added.
Responding to the calls of Bandh deputy chief minster DK Shivakumar said, in certain districts, government buses are currently absent, leading to a surge in private bus traffic in these areas. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar however acknowledged the losses suffered by the private bus operators and committed to taking measures.
Addressing the issue in Bengaluru, Shivakumar noted: “It is known that no one is going by private transport. A solution must be found for this. I will talk to chief minister Siddaramaiah and transport minister Ramalinga Reddy about this.”
