BMTC to fall silent today

An autorickshaw driver's delight and a commuter's nightmare has come true. Employees of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), belonging to five different unions, are going on an indefinite strike from today over the issue of wage revisions. Employees of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which operates outstation services, are also joining the strike.

To start with, the strike, if not withdrawn at the eleventh hour, is likely to affect schoolchildren relying on BMTC buses for their transportation as well as people using BMTC for their daily commute to offices.

Parents of schoolchildren may well make their own arrangements to drop and pick up their kids from today. The strike could put schoolkids using BMTC at risk because while two unions are not supporting the strike, the buses run by their members might turn targets for irate employees or miscreants supporting the protest.
The strike called by the five unions to press for greater inclusion in management decisions, including wages, is expected to see at least one lakh BMTC/KSRTC employees keeping off work. At least 75% of the 6,200 BMTC buses are expected to remain off the roads .

Of these, about 575 have been committed on contract to city schools, IT companies and government organisations.

But the management expects only 20% of the 1.1 lakh employees of BMTC/KSRTC to participate in the strike. "(But) We are not sure how many will actually strike work from Thursday. We will be able to manage if it is just a small percentage," said a senior BMTC official.

Considering that the likelihood of lack of services cannot be ruled out, BMTC managing director KR Srinivas is not leaving any stone unturned. "We have alerted companies about the strike. We have also advised them to bring in private vehicles, so as not to be stranded," he told DNA.