South Western Railway to run special trains to clear Ugadi rush

Bengaluru: South Western Railway (SWR) has decided to run special trains with special fare due to the ongoing strike by the employees of the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation Employees (KSRTC), to clear Ugadi rush. SWR has taken the decision in response to a request made by State Chief Secretary P.Ravi Kumar on April 6.

The SWR has decided to run nine trains on Friday and Saturday. These nine trains to be operated on Friday are from Yeshwantpur to Bijapur, Yeshwantpur to Belagavi, Mysuru to Bidar, Bengaluru City Railway Station to Mysuru and vice versa, Mysuru to Yeshwantpur and vice versa, Yeshwantpur to Shivamogga and Yeshwantpur to Karwar.

The nine trains on Saturday will operate between Yeshwantpur to Belagavi, Bidar to Mysuru, Yeshwantpur to Bidar, Bengaluru City Railway Station to Mysuru and vice versa, Mysuru to Yeshwantpur and vice versa, Shivamogga to Bengaluru City Railway Station and Karwar to Yeshwantpur. On April 11 (Sunday), there will be two trains -- from Belagavi to Yeshwantpur and Bidar to Yeshwantpur. There will be no special trains on April 12 and 13. On April 14, there will be five trains from Belagavi to Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru City Railway Station to Mysuru and vice versa; and Mysuru to Yeshwantpur and vice versa.

The bus stations wore a deserted look on the second day of the strike. City police commissioner Kamal Pant visited the bus stations to take stock of the situation.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition and former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday blamed the State government for adding to the woes of the public. "People of Karnataka are already suffering from the pandemic, and the ongoing strike by KSRTC employees has resulted in the further loss to the people. Inefficient & corrupt administration of @BJP4Karnataka govt is the only reason for this fiasco," he tweeted.

He reminded the government of the promises it made during the last strike by the KSRTC employees and commented that the false assurances were the reason for the strike.

"The BJP government should have thought the impact of the promises they made during the last KSRTC employees' strike. False promises by the government are the reason for the current fallout between employees & the govt," Siddaramaiah said.

He criticised the government for threatening the employees that it would allow private buses to operate and invoke ESMA provisions if they went on strike instead of resolving their grievances through dialogue.

"The State government is citing delicate State finances as the reason for not conceding the demand of KSRTC employees. Central government's step-motherly treatment towards Karnataka and B.S. Yediyurappa's pathetic performance are the reasons for Karnataka's current situation," he said. The Congress leader also suggested that the government keep their egos aside and hold discussions with the employees' union to find an amicable solution.