Bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra were stopped after officers of the State transport undertakings felt that the tense situation in the border could damage the vehicles.
NWKRTC stopped buses from the border districts - Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi and Bidar. Around 200 trips were stopped by Sunday morning, officers said. The buses would ply if the situation returns to normal, they said.
Hundreds of passengers waited in the Belagavi central bus stand for buses that could take them across the border. They were disappointed to know that most buses would return from the border at Nippani.
This follows attempts by Marathi and Kannada groups at blackening of boards pasting stickers and stoning of vehicles and boards before shops in Belagavi and Kolhapur.
This was a response to blackening of Kannada boards in Kolhapur in Maharashtra by some Marathi groups last week. Kannada groups in Belagavi retorted by tearing away and blackening of Marathi boards in Belagavi this week.
NWKRTC officers said bus service would be resumed once the situation returned to normal by Sunday evening or Monday.
