Bus services came to a standstill across Mysuru on Friday as the drivers and conductors of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), like other road transport corporations in the State, went on an indefinite strike in support of their demands.
Though some 30 per cent services were operated till noon, the operations, including on the Mysuru-Bengaluru stretch, were suspended following the reports of stoning of buses en route. The authorities took a decision to withdraw the services though some employees had reported for duty.
All services to Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka and also on inter-State routes have now come to a halt with the employees of the road transport corporations sticking to their demands, including that they be treated as government employees.
The strike severely inconvenienced the public as majority of the travelling public largely depend on public transport for their commuting needs. The clueless passengers were seen proceeding towards the railway station looking for transportation needs.
In the morning, there was heavy rush of passengers on buses that operated in limited numbers when some staff reported for duty.
The intra-city operations were by and large normal since morning and nearly 70 per cent of trips were operated. However, when three to four buses were stoned, the services were suspended in the evening.
Officials said not all the employees are taking part in the strike. However, following the incidents of stone throwing, the staff are resisting from operating the buses.
They said all stranded passengers at the city bus-stand would be cleared by night, employing the on-duty staff and some buses had been stationed at the bus-stand instead of sending them back to the depots to clear the rush.
Some buses suffered minor damages in the stone throwing incidents reported in the city limits and three away from the city limits, a KSRTC Mysuru urban division officer said.
