Bengaluru, August 22: Following rains, flood and landslides in Kerala, and Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has incurred Rs 3.42 crore loss as it has suspended the bus services to those places.
Because of the rain and other calamities, the KSRTC has suspended 1,07,515 km bus service of 2445 buses. So, the Corporation has incurred the loss of Rs 3.42 crore, according to the Corporation.
Along with Kerala, the Corporation also suspended the services in Mangaluru and Madikeri divisions. Total 17,175 passengers cancelled their reserved tickets due to which Rs 1.18 crore was returned to them.
Service resumed
The KSRTC has resumed the luxurious Volvo bus service between Mangaluru and Bengalur and on Tuesday, total ten premium buses started their service. Apart from them, 32 premium buses have started their journey to Udupi, Kundapura, Mangaluru, Dharmashthala through Charmudi, Kudremukh and Shivamogga routes.
Relief materials transported
Relief materials were transported by KSRTC buses for Kodagu victims. On Tuesday, total 180 boxes of materials were transported in 14 buses, the Corporation said.
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Bengal polls: Mamata Banerjee backs Jyotipriya Mallick as TMC's candidate from Habra
Habra (WB) (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday extended her full support to long-time political associate Jyotipriya Mallick, claiming he was targeted in a money laundering case due to a CPI(M) conspiracy.
Mallick, who held the Food and Supplies portfolio in the Mamata Banerjee government from 2011 to 2021, was arrested by the ED in October 2023 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.
He was granted bail in January 2025. At the time of his arrest, he was the state’s forest minister.
Extending her full support to Mallick, who is contesting from Habra constituency for a fourth consecutive term, Banerjee claimed that the CPI(M) and the BJP were spreading canards against him.
"Nobody has worked as well as Balu (Mallick) did in my government," Banerjee said, adding that he was arrested out of "jealousy".
The chief minister alleged that CPI(M) entered 1.5 crore false names in the PDS ration list, which Mallick detected and removed.
She also claimed the Left party persuaded the BJP to register the case against him.
"Balu was instrumental in providing digital ration cards to beneficiaries and introduced a system to track vehicles transporting PDS goods," Banerjee said.
She also defended her nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, questioning why honest business earnings were being scrutinised.
Addressing voters ahead of the two-phase Assembly polls, she said, "I am the candidate everywhere. One vote for Trinamool means voting for me. If you want development work to continue under my leadership, exercise your franchise with my face in mind."
Training her guns on the CPI(M), Banerjee asserted that the Left party drew a blank in the elections because of her.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front could not win a single seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, and also in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Bengal.
"ED or CBI cases are not registered against CPI(M), because they play got-up games with the BJP," the TMC chief said.
Banerjee claimed that the CPI(M) candidates, by dividing votes, will try to help the BJP win seats, asserting that anti-BJP votes should go only to the TMC.
She said people were made to stand in long queues for SIR and asked voters, "Will you avenge this or not?"
She claimed that former CPI(M) workers and supporters have now shifted allegiance to the BJP, while accusing the saffron party, Left and Congress of being "in cahoots with each other."
"Where were they when SIR was being done?" she asked, asserting that only TMC workers stood by the people during that period.
