R Ashok rubbishes rumours that he stage-managed stone pelting on BMTC buses so he could take buses off road during the bandh
R Ashok rubbishes rumours that he stage-managed stone pelting on BMTC buses so he could take buses off road during the bandh
It is rumoured that stones were only pelted at BMTC buses on Monday so Transport Minister R Ashok could get an excuse to take buses off the road during the bandh yesterday.
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On Sunday, the minister had promised commuters that the buses would ply as usual on bandh day. Sources revealed that the minister R Ashok had been warned that he could land in trouble if he took the buses off the road without a justification.
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| Out of 6,100 BMTC buses, only 1,500 buses plied yesterday morning. During the day, 54 buses were damaged. The total loss was estimated at around Rs 2 crore. |
"In a meeting on Sunday the minister asked us to ensure no bus would run on Monday," said a BMTC officer. "We told him that we could only shut services if the if the law and order situation demanded it. The courts had termed bandh calls illegal.
If the minister took the buses off the road, it would be interpreted as open support to the bandh. He then asked us what the solution to the problem was."
Interestingly, it took only an hour after the meeting for a stone pelting incident to occuru00a0u00a0 in Malleswaram, in the evening.
Four BMTC buses were damaged and soon Ashok went on record to say he was not for plying buses as he didn't want to expose public property to risk.
"We don't want to cause incontinence to public, but we are left with no option but to stop the buses. I foresee the situation worsening. We have to be careful," he told media persons.
Out of 6,100 BMTC buses, only 1,500 buses plied, on Monday, when the morning shift started at 5.30 am. The service was completely stopped after a few sporadic incidents were reported by 9.30 am. Fifty-four buses were damaged. The total loss was estimated at around Rs 2 crore.
Syed Zameer Pasha, managing director of BMTC, confirmed that R Ashok did not want the buses to ply on bandh day.
"However, the services were as they always are still we witnessed some stone-pelting."
Rubbishing allegations that the stone pelting was stage-managed, Ashok said, "Just because BJP supported the bandh, you should not read much in to our steps which were only precautionary."
