Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (AF/MB)
Mangalore, Jun 21: It was a hard day for commuters who rely on buses to travel, as bus drivers staged a protest against the recent assault of a driver by a time-keeper here on Wednesday June 20.
The protesters, who are members of the Dakshina Kannada Karmika Parishat Bus Naukarara Sangha expressed their ire by stopping all city buses plying from here to Suratkal, causing great inconvenience to the passengers.
The driver, Raja, had been allegedly attacked by the time-keeper and others near Rao and Rao Circle here on Monday June 18 for being late by two minutes. The driver was admitted to city’s Wenlock Hospital, said Parishat president Ivan D’Souza. He further said that the police took more than 24 hours to file a complaint in this regard.
The strike resulted in the express buses being overcrowded while many of the citizens were left stranded at bus stops, as the Parishat had not informed the public prior to staging the protest.
The worst affected were students and office-goers who could not reach their destinations on time.
The protesters also took out a rally and submitted a memorandum to the police authorities to take action immediately and do away with the system of time-keeping. The protest came to an end in the afternoon only after an assurance by the police that action would be taken in this regard.