Commuters who rely on public transport, especially BMTC buses, are banking on metro services, car-pooling and taxis to get them to work as trade unions begin a 48-hour bandh across the country on Tuesday.
However, the fear of violence has everyone on edge. The two-day strike has been called by central trade unions against what they call the Union government’s ‘anti-labour policies’.
“Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation will operate services as usual unless there is an untoward incident. We will be make higher security arrangements at key stations,” said an official. While KSRTC and BMTC officials maintained that they would adopt a wait-and-watch approach, union workers are expected to not report to work. “The safety of commuters, staff and public property is of utmost importance. We are in touch with the police and depending on the situation, we will decide on operating buses,” said a KSRTC official.
Meanwhile, cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola, some autorickshaws and most private buses said they would operate if there is no violence. “We will be running the full fleet. None of our operators is affiliated to the trade unions and we are not supporting the bandh,” said K.T. Rajashekar, chairman, Bus Operator Confederation of India. Also, all BBMP offices will function normally. “All essential services of the BBMP, including garbage collection, and revenue offices will function as usual,” said N. Manjunath Prasad, BBMP Commissioner.
While the Association for Rights’ of IT Sector Employees, the union of IT employees, has extended support to the strike, most IT companies have sent a formal communication to their employees staying that January 8 and 9 will be normal working days. “To avoid inconvenience, employees are encouraged to plan their own transport for commuting to office,” said one of the IT companies in a communication to its employees. Meanwhile, some companies have asked their employees to work from home.
Security tightened
As many as 15,000 policemen along with 60 Reserve Police Force platoons have been deployed to maintain law and order on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jurisdictional police officers have been deputed at strategic locations to ensure that protests are peaceful. “The police have been asked to take strict action if anyone forces people to participate in the bandh,” T. Suneel Kumar, City Police Commissioner, said. All revenue (quasi judiciary) courts coming under the jurisdiction of Bengaluru district administration will be adjourned on Tuesday.