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Bengaluru, May 17: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Transport Minister Laxman Savadi on Sunday wrote to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari requesting to issue new lockdown guidelines including permission to operate public transport and said the lockdown has caused a financial loss of Rs 16,00 crore to all four Karnataka Transport Undertakings.

In view of these problems, the state Transport Minister requested Gadkari to permit the deployment of Non-AC buses on scheduled routes to ensure the adequacy of services.

The four State Transport Undertakings (STUs) in Karnataka which are providing bus-based public transport services within the state and to the neighbouring states are Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

"KSRTC, NWKRTC and NEKRTC operate buses for mofussil services i.e. Interdistrict, intradistrict and interstate, whereas BMTC operates only in urban and suburban areas in the city of Bengaluru. The four STUs put together hold a fleet of about 24,900 buses including 1,520 air-conditioned buses and operate about 71.00 lakh km. per day and carries about 98.00 lakh passengers every single day," Savadi outlined in the letter.

The Minister said due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown that ensued have brought regular bus operations and functioning to a grinding halt.

"This has caused a devastating impact on the operations of all the four STUs due to the combination of lack of revenue and continuing fixed costs such as salaries and pensions to staff, payables against existing loans etc. It has been estimated that the lockdown has caused a financial loss of INR 1,600/- crore to these four STUs," he added.

Savadi said even after post-COVID lockdown, operations and revenues won't reach its previous demand& supply patterns in the next six to eight months due to reduced economic activity and users' perceived risk of contacting COVID in public transport.

In addition to that, "occupancy should be allowed up to seating capacity (without standees). This is essential to meet minimal demand," he said in the letter.

"The crew should wear facemask and hand gloves. The crew with health issues should not be deployed. The face masks should be made mandatory for all the passengers. Only asymptomatic persons should be allowed to travel in public transport. The Government of India may consider staggering working hours for various sectors to reduce peak hour traffic demand," the minister listed out these recommendations in the letter.

Savadi said that with social distancing norm of reduced seating capacity in public transport, it will not be possible to provide transport facility to all the daily passengers. This will create demand for more buses, which cannot be met.

"Restrictions on public transport will lead to passenger commute by overcrowding in smaller vehicles like cars, maxi cabs, goods tempos etc. which will adversely affect preventive measures," he added.

Therefore, Savadi requested Union Minister to look into the above matter and issue fresh guidelines to all the states / UT's.

Bidar, Feb 15: Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah on Friday demanded the State government to withdraw the sedition case against a mother and a teacher of Shaheen school immediately.

“The police can’t execute anything without the government’s permission. The sedition case against two women should be withdrawn immediately. I will raise the matter in the Assembly to draw the government’s attention,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after meeting the woman at the prison here. 

He clarified that he visited the woman not to support the school, but to extend moral support to her.

“I am an advocate and I can clearly establish based on my experience that staging a satirical play doesn’t amount for sedition. It doesn’t even defame anybody. Three cases of sedition have been registered across the state,” he charged.

He alleged that the government was following dual policy. Though the Supreme Court had concluded that the demolition of Babri Masjid was illegal, a play dealing with the demolition was staged at Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat’s school.
The sedition case had not been registered for staging the play.

He charged that there was an undeclared emergency in the country as the freedom of expression was being suppressed.

Bengaluru, Mar 23: In the wake of the shutdown in several districts of the state to control the COVID-19 spread, Karnataka government on Monday said food would be provided free of cost through Indira Canteen for the poor who depend on daily wages for their livelihood.

The state-sponsored subsidised 'Indira Canteens' as of now serves breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at a cost of Rs 10.

"In the interest of the poor, it has been decided to serve free food for poor. Through Indira Canteen, free food will be served for the entire day for the poor," Yediyurappa told reporters.

The Karnataka government has already announced shutdown of all commercial activities, barring essential services, in nine districts where COVID-19 cases have been reported till March 31.

They are: Bengaluru city, Bengaluru Rural, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu and Belagavi.