BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday categorically stated that the demands of members of Karnataka State Private Transport Owners Association to suitably compensate them cannot be met by the state government.
But transport minister Ramalinga Reddy met the protesting Karnataka State Private Owners Association at Freedom Park and gave an assurance to look into their demands and flowing the assurance from the Minister, the Association of 32 unions, decided to withdraw their bandh call.
The members of Karnataka State Private Transport Owners Association held a bandh in Bengaluru city on Monday and there were disruptions in the services of taxis, maxi cabs, private buses and auto rickshaws demanding the state government to suitably compensate for the financial losses they incur daily owing to the implementation of ‘Shakti’ scheme by the state government to allow free travel for women in ordinary state run buses within the state. The other demands of the Association has been to ban bike taxis such as Rapido among others.
Meanwhile, auto-rickshaws and cabs remained off on Bengaluru city roads pressing for their demands and the Association members gathered at various parts of the city taking out rallies in support of their demands and the bandh call witnessed ugly scenes after a few auto-drivers took to manhandle those drivers defying the bandh call.
In some cases, defiant drivers were beaten black and blue by the protesting auto-drivers and a video clip showed that protesters attacked a passenger and a bike taxi rider over operating the bike taxi on the road. A couple of cases of damage to windshields of cars were reported from across the city.
Protesters also deflate tyres of several auto-rickshaws over defying the bandh call. A video clip posted on social networking sites showed an auto-rickshaw entering into an argument with the protesters when they deflated his vehicle’s tyres and another showed that protesters took to task a bike taxi rider.
An auto-driver who defied bandh call was scarscatically honoured by protesters and offered him a shawl and a turban. A protester hurled abusive words at him and also spit at him. The defying auto-driver later made a quick exit from the spot.
