BENGALURU: Thursday's bandh call given by Kannada outfits and farmers’ organisations is expected to affect normal life in Bengaluru as well as across the state with private schools having been advised to remain closed for the day. Private bus operators said they will continue services as long as there are no attacks on their buses. Employees of government transport corporations will stage a dharna but services will not be affected.
The Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka has asked private schools to keep the safety and security of the staff and students uppermost in mind while deciding whether to remain closed or not. A decision on whether government schools will be open may be taken on Wednesday.
Several firms and IT companies in Bengaluru have asked their employees to work from home or to take the day off. With the bandh falling on a Thursday, and Friday being Republic Day, this means an extra long weekend for many across the city.
“We decided to give the day off on Thursday. Any urgent business will be taken care of from home itself. It is safer than trying to commute to the workplace,” said Rohit Tewari, a manager with a data analysis firm.
Cab services in Bengaluru are expected to operate normally. “Though we support the bandh call, our cabs will operate as usual,” said Tanveer Pasha of Namma Tygr.
Delivery services are likely to be hit as well. Grocery delivery service Big Basket sent out an advisory to its customers on Tuesday stating that they have not kept many delivery slots open on Thursday. Other services are expected to be hit as well although most of them have decided to wait and watch.
Namma Metro is expected to function normally and officials said the service will be stopped only if there is a threat to the stations and passengers.
KSRTC Services Will Be On
The bandh will also coincide with a statewide dharna called by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Staff and Workers Federation which has been demanding implementation of an Industrial Tribunal award of 29 August 2017, as well as an extension of the 12.5 % wage hike announced in 2016 to all officers and supervisory staff. However, the union members said services will not be stopped despite their own protest as well as the bandh. The management of the corporations has also decided not to suspend services.