Karnataka HC cracks whip, trade unions suspend strike till Aug 7
Bengaluru, Aug 5 (PTI): The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the transport strike despite its interim order and warned of contempt proceedings, following which the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation announced suspension of the agitation till August 7, when the matter will be heard next.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi expressed strong displeasure over the strike being carried out despite the invocation of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and the court’s direction not to proceed with the agitation.
The bench warned that the continuation of the strike would not be tolerated and would initiate contempt proceedings against the union leaders.
The court extended its earlier interim order restraining the strike by two more days and directed the unions to submit an affidavit on Wednesday confirming that the strike has been called off.
KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation president H V Anantha Subbarao told reporters in Bengaluru that the agitation had been suspended till August 7 and employees had been instructed to return to work with immediate effect.
During the hearing, the Advocate General informed the court that the strike had caused significant hardship to the public.
In response to a query from the bench regarding efforts at conciliation, details of past rounds of talks with the government were submitted.
The court observed that if there are issues then they should be resolved through talks with the government.
It also noted that resorting to a strike even after ESMA had been enforced was unlawful. The court also issued notices to the unions of all four state transport corporations.
The counsel for the Joint Action Committee assured the court that the strike would not continue on Wednesday. The court made it clear that if the strike is resumed, the government is free to take appropriate legal action under ESMA.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
