On Tuesday, the daily life in Karnataka ground to a halt as all employees of four state-owned road transport corporations, KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC, defied a high court of Karnataka interim stay order the previous day and went on indefinite strike. Commuters have been major casualties of the strike, which kept government bus off the roads, especially in major cities such as Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Mysuru, and Hubballi. Great masses of the average customers who traveled and used these means every day were stranded and fighting their way to workplaces, to schools, and other relevant places.
The incident set off visuals of people flocking bus stands and desperately seeking alternatives, with the majority going out of their way and trying to find a ride in private cabs, autorickshaws, and two-wheelers in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. Nevertheless, reports showed that a number of the private operators and cab aggregators raised prices drastically during the crisis. There were also allegations that Autorickshaw drivers overcharged, and this contributed to the annoyance on the part of people.
The suburbs were the worst hit, but limited bus formation was experienced in certain rural communities because, in a small circle, some employees avoided being part of the strike. As an attempt to reduce the effects, transport corporations allegedly used trainee drivers on some of the routes, but this was not enough considering the large number of commuters.
Amidst Chikkamagaluru, Raichur, Chitradurga, Dharwad, and Belagavi, passenger congestion was observed in the cities during peak hours, so that the commuters took to carpooling, the use of privately owned buses, and sharing of auto-riders. The unlimited strike that was organized by the unions of employees revolves around higher pay and superior working conditions.
In order to curtail untoward incidents, authorities have heightened security within the major transport stations. But as talks by the government and unions continue to show no sign of giving, the future of the resumption of the normal bus services remains uncertain, as the daily commuters of thousands of people await the events that would take place in the coming days.
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