Bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra resume slowly; all services may resume on Thursday-OxBig News Network

An NWKRTC bus ready to leave for Kolhapur in Maharashtra, at Belagavi bus stand on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER

The North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) began running buses on some routes to Maharashtra on Wednesday. Operations on around 50 routes began from depots in Belagavi and Chikkodi. All the services may resume by Thursday, officers said.

The services had been suspended following attacks on State transport buses in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Shiv Sena (UBT) activists had defaced buses in Kolhapur and Solapur while the MSRTC buses were stopped or defaced at Ilkal and Ramdurg last week.

This followed an attack on an NWKRTC conductor allegedly over a language row. Buses from both the States were plying only up to the border. Makeshift bus stations were set up at the border where the people would cross on foot and take the bus to their destination. This arrangement worked for a few days.

Coordination meeting

The resumption of service follows a coordination meeting between senior officers of border districts on Tuesday. Belagavi Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan and Superintendent of Police Bheemashankar S. Guled held talks with their respective counterparts in Kolhapur, Solapur, and Sangli districts in Maharashtra.

They addressed issues of safety of buses and staff and the timing of buses. It was agreed that the resumption of services would be taken up at the earliest. Officers had exchanged information about cases registered against miscreants who defaced buses in both States. They also agreed on a set of guidelines for smooth bus operations between the two States.

Earlier on Monday, NWKRTC managing director Priyanga M. met Chetan Singh Rathore, IGP (Northern Range), and asked the police to act against the offenders in 63 cases of assault on the NWKRTC staff.

She pointed out that in most cases, minor scuffles had escalated to violent conflicts and taken different dimensions. In some cases, the offenders were let off after local police filed ‘B’ reports. All the cases should be properly investigated, she said in a letter.

Conductor recovers

Meanwhile, the NWKRTC conductor, Mahadev Hukkeri, has recovered and has been discharged. He has been advised to rest at home, officers said. The NWKRTC estimates it suffered a loss of around ₹40 lakh in the four days the bus services were suspended.