Strike ke side effects: Autos seized, cases booked, prisoners stuck
- Police seized 407 auto rickshaws and booked drivers for charging extra
- Patients were forced to pay extra and stay in the hospital, despite being discharged
- Out-station people stuck in bus stops
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The three-day transport strike in Karnataka had a range of side-effects, from booked auto drivers to patients being forced to remain in hospitals after discharge. Here is a look at some of them:
Seizures galore:
Police seized 407 auto rickshaws and booked drivers for charging extra and taking advantage of the bus strike in Bengaluru.
It was not just autos though. For example, a private bus going to city market from Anekal had charged ₹30 instead of the fixed amount ₹10. A case has been booked against the driver as well as the conductor of the bus.
In the crackdown around Bengaluru, cases have been booked against 3,945 auto rickshaw drivers and 407 autos have been seized, said Additional Commissioner (Traffic) R Hithendra.
Freed from jail but caught in protest:
Somappa Harijan, imprisoned for refusing to pay alimony to his wife, was released from Hindalga jail in Belagavi. But he was surprised to learn that he could not move out of the city as there was no transport and had to spend the night in the bus stop.
Later, a Suvarna reporter paid for him to travel home in a private bus.
Patients inconvenienced:
The bus strike has affected the hospitals too as many patients could not return home. They were forced to pay extra and stay in the hospital, despite being discharged.
Reporters visited Vani Vilas Hospital in Bengaluru, where many patients and family members were venting their anger against the protesters.
Out of station and nowhere to go:
People from other states who landed in Karnataka on Monday morning were in for a shock. Among thousands of incidents, here are afew examples.
Four youths who came from Bihar to Bengaluru were supposed to join work in Mangaluru. Among them, Ritesh and Ankit said that they had no clue about the strike were worried about losing their jobs as they weren't in a position to reach their destination on time.
In another such instance, four youths from Chikkamagalur had come to Bengaluru to attend an interview on Sunday. But sans transport, they remained stuck in the BMTC bus stop.
Meanwhile, the company also postponed the interview and has slated it two days later due to the strike.
“We have decided to spend two days in the bus stop instead of going home,” said one of the candidates Kumar, as his friends Sunil, Wasim and Amar looked on.
