Buses to go off roads on July 25 as unions call stir

July 23, 2016

Bengaluru, Jul 23: All the seven unions of the state-run transport corporations (STCs) have stuck to their decision to go on an indefinite strike from Sunday midnight as talks with the government failed on Friday.

ksrtcRepresentatives of the unions, including the KSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation (KSWF) and the Akhila Karnataka Rajya Raste Sarige Noukarara Mahamandali, had a two-hour-long discussion with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

The leaders of the unions refused to accept Siddaramaiah's offer to enhance the quantum of hike in salary from 8% to 10%. The chief minister appealed to them to give up the strike, but the leaders did not agree.

The government had recently announced a 8% salary hike for employees of the four STCs - KSRTC, BMTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC. Terming the hike as meagre,' the unions have given a call for an indefinite strike from July 25, demanding enhancement in the hike.

The unions are demanding 35% hike in the salaries. Besides, they have listed 41 various demands including extension of medical benefits to dependents of employees, hike in daily allowance (bata) for drivers and conductors to Rs 300, increase in the repast allowance to at least Rs 100 and opening of subsidised canteen in all depots.

H V Anantha Subbarao, general secretary, KSWF, told Deccan Herald that they had no deliberate intention to cause trouble to lakhs of passengers by keeping around 23,000 buses off the road, but it was inevitable as the government did not fulfil their salary hike demand.

Subbarao said they were ready to hold talks again with the chief minister before Monday and they have told Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to persuade Siddaramaiah for another round of talks.

Advance booking continues

The state-run transport corporations (STCs) such as the KSRTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC have not stopped advance booking of tickets for Monday, despite the strike call.

An official in the KSRTC said booking cannot be stopped because the unions have given a strike call. Amount will be refunded to the passengers in case of a strike, the official said.

Comments

aharkul
 - 
Saturday, 23 Jul 2016

these people need always high salary apart from incentive. Now they are getting good salary and incentive with other benefits like medical, subsidized food in their respective depot canteen so on. But still not happy.

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News Network
May 17,2020

Bengaluru, May 17: Left to itself, Karnataka will look to spring back towards normalcy under Lockdown 4.0 as the state government is on standby to resume public transport services from May 18, if the Centre allows it. 

Though KSRTC and BMTC have been preparing for resumption of services, officials in the two corporations told DH that they cannot make a move till the government makes a decision.

Transport Commissioner N Shivakumar said the department will take a decision based on the state government's orders. "The government will take a call on buses as well as taxi and other transport services," he said.

Senior officials in the state government said Deputy Chief Minister and Transport Minister Laxman Savadi has written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari seeking a nod for resumption of the services. 

Transport Secretary Gaurav Gupta has written a separate letter to his counterpart in the Union government requesting permission to operate public transport. "The state government wants the services to open. The official has listed out the steps the corporations will take to ensure social distancing other steps that will be taken to check spread of Coronavirus," a source said.

The B S Yediyurappa administration has been bullish on easing lockdown restrictions. 

If the Centre empowers the states to define Lockdown 4.0, Karnataka is likely to do away with the red-orange-green zoning of districts and allow public services to resume, except in COVID-19 containment zones. The government is also likely to redefine its containment strategy by micromanaging localities where COVID-19 cases are reported, without letting life in an entire district get affected. 

The government has already shown willingness to allow hotels and gyms to open after May 17 subject to social distancing norms and restrictions. In fact, the government has proposed to allow the resumption of all economic activities in standalone establishments. The government, however, is not keen on opening malls, theatres, diners and establishments that have centralized air conditioning. 

“Everything depends on the Centre,” Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said. “Our only stand is that the red zone should be treated at par with the other zone when it comes to relaxation.” 

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News Network
May 6,2020

Bengaluru, May 6: The second day of liquor sales in Karnataka on Tuesday after easing of lockdown curbs saw a nearly five-fold jump in earnings, with Rs 197 crore worth spirits being sold.

According to top Excise Department officials, 4.21 lakh cases of Indian-made liquor, comprising 36.37 lakh litres, worth Rs 182 crore and 7.02 lakh litres of beer in 0.90 lakh cases worth Rs 15 crore was sold on Tuesday.

On Monday, when sales resumed in the state, Rs 45 crore worth liquor was sold.

"We had never expected such a record sale. It's unprecedented," an Excise official who did not wish to be named said.

Liquor sales had resumed in Karnataka on Monday after a 41 day gap following the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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News Network
April 23,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 23: The Karnataka government on Wednesday promulgated 'The Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020' that provides the state with a power to seal borders, restrict essential services and punish those attacking public servants and damaging public property.

The Ordinance comes after violence in Padarayanapura when the police and BBMP officials were attacked while they tried to take some secondary contacts of a deceased COVID-19 patient into quarantine on April 19.

The Ordinance, which was promulgated after the Centre's guidelines in this regard, said, "The offender shall be liable for a penalty of twice the value of public or private property damaged as determined by the Deputy Commissioner after an inquiry."

It further said that if the penalty is not paid by the offender, then the amount shall be recovered under provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. The Deputy Commissioner can even attach the property of such offender in due course.

Also, abetment of offence would attract imprisonment of up to two years and a penalty of Rs 10,000 or both.

"No person shall commit or attempt to commit or instigate, incite or otherwise abet the commission of offence to cause loss or damage to any public or private property in any area when restrictions and regulations are in force to contain any epidemic disease," the Ordinance said.

Whoever contravenes such provision shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, but may extend to three years and with fine which may extend to Rs 50,000, it added.

On Wednesday, the Centre brought an Ordinance to end violence against health workers, making it a cognisable and non-bailable offence with imprisonment up to seven years for those found guilty.

"We have brought an Ordinance under which any attack on health workers will be a cognisable and non-bailable offence. In the case of grievous injuries, the accused can be sentenced from six months to seven years. They can be penalised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakhs," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar briefed media after Cabinet meeting.

Javadekar said that an amendment will be made to the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and ordinance will be implemented.
This comes amid nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19.

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