Nationwide bandh called by Congress Party against rising prices likely to cripple transport services on Monday.
Here’s all you need to know about the Bharat Bandh tomorrow:
1.Why is Bharat Bandh Being Observed?The All India Congress Committee has called for a nationwide bandh on Monday (September 10) to protest against ‘price rise’, ‘fall’ of rupee against the dollar and other issues that ‘affect’ the people across the country.
2.Time of the Bandh: The Congress has said that it will observe the shutdown between 9 am to 3 pm in order to “avoid causing inconvenience to common people”.
The nationwide bandh called by the Congress party against rising fuel prices is likely to cripple transport services in the State on Monday.
Office-goers and students could face a harrowing time on the first working day of the week as many services will be unavailable in the wake of nationwide bandh called by the All India Congress Committee on Monday.
However Commuters are advised to avail metro services on Monday as the trains will remain unaffected.
The Bharat bandh has been called to protest against ‘price rise’, ‘fall’ of rupee against the dollar and other issues that ‘affect’ the people across the country.
Many educational institutions have decided to declare a holiday as transport services may be affected between 9am and 3pm.These schools will have full-day classes on Saturday (September 15) to compensate for the closure on Monday. Exams scheduled for September 10 are likely to be postponed due to the shutdown.
“Private schools will not participate in the bandh in the interest of students.We have communicated to heads of educational institutions that they can use their discretionary powers to decide on giving a holiday.Schools can declare a holiday provided they conduct classes on Saturday.Shashi Kumar D, secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka,told reporters.
Banking services likely to be crippled on Monday as Bank Employees’ Association extends support to the bandh.
H.V. Ananth Subbarao, general secretary of the KSRTC Staff and Workers’ Federation, said that the services of KSRTC would be affected from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The state buses will also remain off roads as the KSRTC Staff and Workers Association have offered to support the bandh, therefore, services by all state-run transport corporations.BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC, NEKRTC – will be hit. The association is backed by the All-India Trade Union Congress.
T.Suneel Kumar,Bengaluru city police commissioner said for tomorrow’s Bandh we have made elaborate arrangements for which we have deployed 15000 policemen which includes,4 Addl CPs,Joint commissioners,19 DCPs,49 ACPs,250 PIs,400 PSIs,700 ASIs,40 KSRP and 30 City Armed forces platoons.Beside that we will deploy,1500 home guards and other police personnel also for the maintenance of law and order.Across city including Traffic Police from Constable to Police Commissioner will be deployed and all precautionary measures will be taken in their respective jurisdiction and in the sensitive and hypersensitive areas we have made police picket points for no untoward incident take place all the officers and men will be on vigil rounds from morning 6am till evening.We warn all the mischief mongers and appeal them to maintain peace he added.
There may also be shortage of taxis as some drivers have also decided to support the bandh. The taxi drivers are divided over the shutdown call.Tanveer Pasha, President of the Ola TaxiForSure and Uber Drivers’ Association, as saying that taxi drivers will support the drive but his call is not supported by all taxi associations.
“Increase in fuel prices has had a huge impact on the transport industry. But we can’t take a sudden decision without consulting all associations and MNC vendors,”K Radhakrishna Holla, president, Bangalore Tourist Taxi Operators’ Association told Media persons.
Meanwhile, auto unions are yet to take a decision on the strike..
A procession has also been planned from Hampankatta Circle to the District Commissioner’s Office. “Bus and autorickshaw workers’, drivers’ and owners’ associations, maxi cab owners’ and drivers’ associations, Forum For Justice, beedi workers’ associations and various labour unions have supported the bandh”, Congress leader Ivan D’Souza told media persons.
KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao on Saturday spoke about how the shutdown would convey people’s anger and hardship caused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies.Speaking to the media here, Mr Rao charged that the government led by Mr Modi looted a whopping Rs 11 lakh crore by hiking prices of oil over the last four and half years.”Acche din and sabka saat sabka Vikas have remained slogans and words for campaign.Nothing has been implemented on the ground. His assurances of 2014 have remained unfulfilled and his policies have resulted in killing of hundreds of people on the street,” he charged.According to him, de-controlling policy has been wrongly used.“The benefits that we got through de-controlling policy of petroleum products has been used to their advantage.The BJP has looted the country,”he charged.He emphasised that Bharat bandh was to protest against price rise, fall of rupee against the dollar and other issues that affect people across the country. “Our objective is not to trouble people or torment them. This bandh should be spontaneous. We are living in the most difficult times,” he added.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been silent on the issue and miserably failed to contain the rising prices of petrol and diesel,” he regretted, adding that the JD(S) was not supporting the bandh as a partner of the Congress in the state’s coalition government, but in response to the suffering of the people over the last six months due to the increase in fuel prices.
“The country’s economy has gone for a toss and the banking industry has nosedived. Mr Modi,who built castles in the air with his sweet talk,has failed to improve the lot of the poor and middle class,”Mr Vishwanath charged. Recalling that the people had a lot of expectation from the Prime Minister when he came to power in 2014, he claimed they were now entirely disillusioned with his “anti-poor policies.”
JD(S), which runs a coalition government with the Congress, has also extended support to the bandh.
