State-run buses stayed off the roads, schools and many banks remained closed, and the Central Business District was virtually shuttered as the city joined large parts of the State in observing the nationwide bandh on Monday. The bandh was largely peaceful in the city.
While most private sector companies did not announce that they would join the bandh, uncertainty and lack of public transport — both of which was reflected in the lower traffic flow — saw low employee turnout in the IT sector and industrial areas of Rajajinagar, Whitefield and Peenya.
The BMTC, which did not run services till late in the afternoon, said it had incurred a loss of ₹4 crore.
North Bengaluru and central Bengaluru saw even hotels, small shops and malls shuttered, while south Bengaluru saw a tepid response. The attendance in government offices was severely affected, with as many as half the employees unable to make it to work, said B.K. Giri Gowda, vice president, Karnataka State Government Employees Association.
Stranded in bus stand
For many who arrived in the city, the sight of empty bus stands and autorickshaw stands came as a rude shock. Paresh Narain, who came with his family from Pune to Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway station in the morning, did not know about the strike. He struggled to get affordable transportation. “This is very inconvenient for people like us who have already planned for something,” he said.
The usually busy BMTC and KSRTC bus stands saw almost no movement for most of the day. Raghunath, a resident of Chitradurga, who came to meet his son in the city had been waiting in the deserted bus stand for hours. “I have a business to run. Waiting for transport affects us a lot,” he said.
While many autorickshaws and cabs stayed off the roads, those plying attempted to cash in on the situation.
While taxi aggregators such as Ola and Uber have not officially supported the bandh, a majority of their drivers decided to stay off the roads. In many cases, there was a surge in cab fares, one aggregator even charging more than ₹50 per kilometre on Monday due to ‘high demand’.
The Namma Metro services, however, functioned normally, much to the relief of commuters.
Protests
Protests centred around central Bengaluru where JD(S) and Congress workers held large rallies to protest the hike in prices. At Kempegowda Bus Stand, Kannada activist Vatal Najaraj held protests while other groups held protests on airport road.
An ambulance was reportedly stuck at Mehkri Circle due to a protest by Kannada Rakshana Vedike and traffic policemen had to disperse the crowd just to allow the ambulance to pass.
Schools and colleges remained closed. Many institutions were forced to postpone their mid-semester examinations scheduled on Monday. Private schools have decided to work an extra day — on a Saturday — to make up for the interruption in the academic calendar.
Across the State
The success of the bandh in private establishments largely followed the political contours of the State. In Mandya and Hassan, which are JD(S) bastions, and large parts of north Karnataka, which are Congress strongholds, the bandh was met with a good response. Shopkeepers either downed their shutters voluntarily or out of fear of reprisals.
In the coast, which is a BJP stronghold, there was a mixed response, with a large number of shops being operational.
(Inputs from Amal Rasheedali)