The home-bound migrant workers in Bengaluru can finally travel free by bus to their home districts within Karnataka. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, on Sunday, announced free bus services to migrant workers for the next three days.
Earlier too, following a public outcry against the KSRTC for charging double the ticket fare, Yediyurappa had intervened and directed the organisation to collect only one-way fare from the migrant workers. But on Saturday, the KSRTC halted the bus service by evening, forcing thousands of passengers in Majestic bus stand to spend the night on the platform.
The BJP government announced free bus service, only after the constant media coverage of the plight of stranded migrant families and criticism by the opposition Congress.
The KSRTC was justifying its decision to operate the buses as "contract carriage" and charging exorbitant fare, saying the corporation had incurred a huge loss since the lockdown. It also contended that the bus service will be non-viable as the buses would run with partial occupancy to maintain social distancing and they would run empty on their way back.
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KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar who visited the Majestic bus stand on Saturday witnessed the plight of the migrants and the logistics nightmare created by KSRTC due to poor planning. On Sunday morning, he handed over a cheque of Rs 1 crore from the party's coronavirus fund to the KSRTC to sponsor the tickets. "The BJP government has suffered loss of face after we offered to sponsor the tickets and media set out to raise funds," said Shivakumar.
The migrant workers will now be dropped off at the respective district headquarters (not the native towns and villages) in the Green and Orange zone. The passengers will be screened for fever at their destinations, and allowed to go home only after they are given instructions on the home quarantine norms.