Protest cripples city, several injured

Protest cripples city, several injured
Deccan Herald

With one hand placed on his son’s shoulder, the farmer from Andhra Pradesh limped the long walk from the Corporation Circle to the Kempegowda bus station on Saturday afternoon.

They were not alone in their pedestrian woes. Blind men, schoolchildren, a father laden with bags and child, working men and women, a physically challenged man, visitors to the city, and those who wanted to get out of it, all took the long walk.

The cause of their pedestrian woes was a protest by AITUC which left about five drivers injured and some 60 buses damaged.

The blind men were Vijaykumar and Netraraj, who work in a firm in Unity Building.

They explained that their usual routine was to board the bus to Majestic, and thence on separately to Yelahanka and Kengeri. On Saturday they had to walk to Majestic, with one leading the other.

Riot policemen were seen helping the two on to the pavement and on their way.

Policemen also came to the aid of a physically challenged man, for whom the bleak prospect of going down all the way down KG Road was unrelieved by the fact that no autodriver was willing to stop for him.

A constable persuaded one to stop and take the man on.

Rajeev, who sells postpaid connections, lamented that he had not been able to get to work, because of which he had irate customers calling him repeatedly and demanding what he was upto.

Another wayfarer, Murali, was obviously miffed at having to cancel his trip to Tumkur. The tone of his remark about it being a “big problem for the public” revealed his annoyance.

Similar pedestrian feats were also witnessed on the stretch from Mysore Road to Minerva Circle.