BENGALURU: Scores of migrant workers, who reached Kempegowda Bus Station from various parts of the city on Sunday, heaved a sigh of relief after the state government made bus transport free for three days.
Taking cue from its earlier mistakes, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Sunday operated buses from the BMTC bus terminus from 10am to 8pm. “We operated buses from the BMTC terminus as it’s more spacious than the KSRTC facility and it’s easier to manage the crowd. We also allowed the workers to sit inside the buses after health screening to ensure they don’t wander around,” said a senior KSRTC official.
Volunteers from various organisations provided food packets and water bottles to passengers to ensure they didn’t go hungry.
Another official admitted that free transport made things easier. “Earlier, people used to beg and borrow to pay the fare. Holding placards,they’d search for people to meet the minimum 30 passengers requirement to board a bus. Now, they just need to come to Majestic with their family, undergo medical screening and provide their contact details,” said another official.
“We weren’t collecting high fares intentionally. We are also struggling to pay salaries but now the government has taken a policy decision to bear the cost,” he added.
Many workers reached the bus station on Saturday evening itself and slept there to catch a bus on Sunday.
“Me and my family walked from Vijayanagar on Saturday evening. It was impossible to walk back again as we were tired. I’m happy that finally the government made transportation free. In the village, I could somehow manage but it’s difficult to survive here without a job. I will not return for another six months,” said Krishnappa K, a migrant worker from Yadgir.
However, some white-collar workers too used the free transport facility. “It’s difficult to stop non-migrant workers from boarding the bus and many are going to their native places because of the lockdown. But their numbers are less,” an official said.
TOI found that there was a shortage of health personnel to screen passengers at the bus terminus. Also, there weren’t enough police personnel to ensure social distancing. Many were standing in long queues for thermal scanning without following those norms. No lines or circles were marked to ensure social distancing, making these travellers highly vulnerable.
Most headed to NK
KSRTC officials said they operated 481 buses from Majestic till 8pm on Sunday. Of these, majority are to Yadgir (62), Kalaburagi (61), Bidar (32), Raichur (33), Shivamogga (28) and Ballari (24). “Most of the migrant workers are from north Karnataka. So, we operated more buses to places like Kalaburagi and Yadgir,” said an official.
Taking cue from its earlier mistakes, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Sunday operated buses from the BMTC bus terminus from 10am to 8pm. “We operated buses from the BMTC terminus as it’s more spacious than the KSRTC facility and it’s easier to manage the crowd. We also allowed the workers to sit inside the buses after health screening to ensure they don’t wander around,” said a senior KSRTC official.
Volunteers from various organisations provided food packets and water bottles to passengers to ensure they didn’t go hungry.
Another official admitted that free transport made things easier. “Earlier, people used to beg and borrow to pay the fare. Holding placards,they’d search for people to meet the minimum 30 passengers requirement to board a bus. Now, they just need to come to Majestic with their family, undergo medical screening and provide their contact details,” said another official.
“We weren’t collecting high fares intentionally. We are also struggling to pay salaries but now the government has taken a policy decision to bear the cost,” he added.
Many workers reached the bus station on Saturday evening itself and slept there to catch a bus on Sunday.
“Me and my family walked from Vijayanagar on Saturday evening. It was impossible to walk back again as we were tired. I’m happy that finally the government made transportation free. In the village, I could somehow manage but it’s difficult to survive here without a job. I will not return for another six months,” said Krishnappa K, a migrant worker from Yadgir.
However, some white-collar workers too used the free transport facility. “It’s difficult to stop non-migrant workers from boarding the bus and many are going to their native places because of the lockdown. But their numbers are less,” an official said.
TOI found that there was a shortage of health personnel to screen passengers at the bus terminus. Also, there weren’t enough police personnel to ensure social distancing. Many were standing in long queues for thermal scanning without following those norms. No lines or circles were marked to ensure social distancing, making these travellers highly vulnerable.
Most headed to NK
KSRTC officials said they operated 481 buses from Majestic till 8pm on Sunday. Of these, majority are to Yadgir (62), Kalaburagi (61), Bidar (32), Raichur (33), Shivamogga (28) and Ballari (24). “Most of the migrant workers are from north Karnataka. So, we operated more buses to places like Kalaburagi and Yadgir,” said an official.
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