BELAGAVI: Bus services from Karnataka to Kolhapur in Maharashtra were temporarily suspended after tension escalated along the Karnataka-Maharashtra border after a bus conductor of North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) was assaulted for refusing to speak in Marathi with a passenger at Balekundri village of Belagavi taluk.
The incident sparked widespread protests, leading to the disruption in interstate bus services. But buses on Kagwad-Miraj, Chikkodi-Ichalkaranji and other routes from Belagavi and Chikkodi bus depots resumed normal operations.
After Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists blackened Karnataka buses at Nashik and Pune in Maharashtra. They spray painted ‘Jai Maharashtra’ and ‘MANASE’ in Marathi on the buses. Three buses were blackened in Pune on Sunday. On Saturday, Shiv Sena activists tied Saffron flags to Karnataka buses at Kolhapur.
On the Karnataka side, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists blackened a Maharashtra bus and also the face of the bus driver at Chitradurga on Friday night. The suspension of bus services to Kolhapur badly impacted daily commuters on both sides of the border. They could be resumed depending on the situation, which is being monitored closely, said Chikkodi Divisional Controller M Shashidhar.
Rajesh Huddar, divisional controller, NWKRTC, Belagavi, said, “The bus service is normal except to Kolhapur, where it was affected from Sunday morning till afternoon, as Shiv Sena planned a protest. On an average, 90 buses are operated to Maharashtra from Belagavi.
We are operating the services by coordinating with depot managers of respective cities in Maharashtra to prevent damage to buses and safety of bus drivers and conductors. Four buses were smeared with black paint on Saturday night.” Chikkodi NWKRTC subdivision normally operates 80 daily trips to Kolhapur and other cities.