KSRTC arranges special bus services with over 2,000 vehicles for dasara festival
Bengaluru: In view of the Dasara festival, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has arranged special bus services with over 2,000 vehicles to facilitate the travel of tourists arriving in Mysuru and other passengers availing holidays during this period.
Special bus services will be operated from October 9 to 14, connecting various locations in Karnataka and other states to Bengaluru. Buses will be departing from Kempegowda Bus Station, Mysuru Road Bus Station, and Shantinagar BMTC Bus Station. The services will cover destinations such as Dharmasthala, Kukke Subrahmanya, Sringeri, Horanadu, Shivamogga, Madikeri, Mangaluru, Davangere, Gokarna, Kollur, Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Karwar, Ballari, Hosapete, Kalaburagi, Raichur, and more.
Additionally, special services will be available for Hyderabad, Chennai, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Salem, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukottai, Madurai, Panaji, Shirdi, Pune, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and other nearby states.
As part of the arrangements, KSRTC will deploy 260 additional buses from Bengaluru's Mysuru Road Bus Station to Mysuru and operate 400 more vehicles to various tourist and religious destinations around Mysuru, such as Chamundi Hill, KRS Dam/Brindavan Gardens, Srirangapatna, Nanjangud, Madikeri, Mandya, Malavalli, H.D. Kote, Chamarajanagar, Hunsur, K.R. Nagar, and Gundlupet, totalling 660 special buses.
A direct ‘Fly Bus’ service will also be available from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, to Mysuru for passengers' convenience.
KSRTC will operate special one-day tour packages for tourists visiting Mysuru from October 3 to 15. Under the ‘Giridarshini’ package, transport will be provided to Bandipur, Gopalaswamy Hill, Biligirirangana Hill, Nanjangud, and Chamundi Hill (Rs. 400 for adults and Rs. 250 for children). The ‘Jaladarshini’ package will cover destinations such as the Golden Temple (Bylakuppe), Dubare Forest, Nisargadhama, Raja’s Seat, Harangi Reservoir, and KRS Dam (Rs. 450 for adults and Rs. 300 for children). The ‘Devadarshini’ package will provide connectivity to Nanjangud, Bluff, Mudukutore, Talakadu, Somanathapura, and Srirangapatna (Rs. 300 for adults and Rs. 200 for children).
These package services will depart from Mysuru in the morning, covering the respective destinations, and return to Mysuru by evening. Online ticket booking is available through the KSRTC official website.
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Protest against demolition drive turns violent in Kolkata, 3 cops injured
Kolkata (PTI): A protest against the recent bulldozer action in Kolkata's Tiljala turned violent on Sunday as demonstrators hurled stones at police personnel in the minority-dominated Park Circus area, injuring at least three officials and damaging several vehicles.
The flare-up came days after bulldozers rolled into Tiljala as part of the West Bengal government's demolition drive against alleged illegal constructions following the factory fire that killed two persons earlier this week.
On Sunday afternoon, a large number of people gathered near Park Circus Seven Point Crossing to protest against the anti-encroachment drive and attempted to block roads, police said.
As police tried to disperse, what they described as an "unlawful assembly", a section of protesters allegedly resorted to stone-pelting, triggering chaos in the area.
Several vehicles parked along the roadside, including those carrying central forces, were vandalised, officials said.
Heavy deployment of Kolkata Police and central forces was made in the area after the clashes. Route marches and intensified patrolling were undertaken in adjoining localities to prevent further escalation and restore normalcy.
Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner Ashesh Biswas said action has already been initiated against those involved in the violence.
"Some people tried to block the road. It was an illegal gathering. The police were trying to disperse them, and there was pelting of stones. Three of our colleagues were injured," Biswas told reporters.
"We have already arrested a few people," he said.
The officer said police followed standard operating procedures, and efforts were underway to identify all those involved in the violence.
"There was an attack on the police. We will see who is behind it and arrest everyone. Strict legal action will be taken," he added.
While the police maintained the agitation was linked to administrative action against illegal buildings, some locals claimed that grievances over alleged restrictions on the use of loudspeakers during religious prayers and curbs on offering prayers on roads had also contributed to the tensions.
The developments come close on the heels of tension in Kolkata's Rajabazar area on Friday, where a standoff broke out after a group of people allegedly attempted to offer prayers on a public road despite restrictions on blocking traffic.
According to police sources, a large contingent of personnel reached the area and asked people to vacate the road, after which the situation turned tense briefly.
Members of the local community argued that holding Friday prayers on roads had been a long-standing practice in the locality, while the administration maintained that keeping roads clear was necessary for traffic movement and maintenance of law and order.
Police, however, did not indicate any direct connection between the Rajabazar incident and Sunday's violence in Park Circus.
Authorities also did not immediately disclose the number of persons arrested in Sunday's clashes or whether any protesters sustained injuries during the confrontation.
