KUGNOLI, KARNATAKA-MAHARASHTRA BORDER : A day after pro-Maharashtra activists held a big protest over the border dispute that disrupted traffic on the busy Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, the Kognoli toll plaza near Nipani on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border witnessed normal life on Wednesday.
Private vehicles from Maharashtra, Karnataka and other states were seen plying without any problem. At the toll plaza, a few police personnel and a jeep were stationed to prevent any untoward incident. The police checked only the vehicles that aroused their suspicion and allowed others to pass. But transport corporation buses from both states continued to remain suspended.
Amar Pawar, a resident of Kagal along the border in Maharashtra, said that people on both sides are facing difficulties because of cancelled bus services. Buses from both sides are stopping about a kilometre from the toll plaza. From there, people have to walk 5 km to reach Kagal and catch another bus to move ahead, he added.
Kishore Patil alias Gopi, a tea shop owner at the toll plaza, said businesses near the border have suffered big losses because of the dispute. On Tuesday, all business establishments had to shut because of the protest. On Wednesday, the business is almost nil, he added.