RTC workers' strike begins in Karnataka, bus services hit
Bengaluru, Apr 7: Bus services were affected in most parts of Karnataka on Wednesday as drivers and conductors of road transport corporations began their indefinite strike on wage related issues.
Commuters were left stranded at bus stations across the city, with Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses remaining off the roads. Similar reports are emerging from various parts of the state.
Bus services in several cities, including Bengaluru, were thrown out of gear from Tuesday afternoon itself after drivers and conductors decided not to work the second shift.
Passengers travelling to and from distant areas and office goers were the most affected.
Several universities in the state have postponed exams because of the RTC workers strike.
The government has tried to make alternate arrangements by roping in private transport operators, and has sought deployment of more trains, aimed at addressing inconvenience caused to the public due to the stir.
Private buses, maxi cabs and other transport services were seen operating in different parts of the city, coming to the rescue of stranded passengers.
However, their operators said the number of passengers was not as usual and was scarce.
They said many passengers are using their own vehicles or have made arrangements on their own.
People were also seen using cabs, metro and auto rickshaws in the city.
Metro has decided to increase the frequency of its services between 7 am and 9 pm.
Workers of BMTC, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) and North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), under the banner of Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League, have given a call for strike from April 7.
The protest is against the government's failure to implement a salary under the 6th Pay Commission for the RTC workers.
They decided to go ahead with the strike, despite the government warning of strict action and ruling out any negotiations with them.
While making it clear that the implementation of the 6th pay commission for transport workers was not possible, the government however has agreed for an 8 per cent increase in salary as an interim relief.
However, it said, it cannot be implemented immediately as the model code of conduct is in place and a letter has been sent to the Election Commission seeking permission.
Warning the employees against going on strike during the COVID-19 situation, officials had said "no work no pay", while indicating about even invoking Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) if the strike continues.
At some places there were complaints about private services including buses, autos and cabs charging exorbitantly, taking advantage of the transport strike.
Officials said they are keeping vigil on it and making spot visits to inspect the fare being collected by private operators.
According to the transport department, notification fixing cab and bus fares has already been issued and no one can charge over it.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
