Students hold traffic to ransom

Traffic affected as students take out procession, block road

The Hindu

Nearly 4,000 students from across the State take part in protest


BANGALORE: Vehicular movement was affected for nearly four hours in the central parts of the city on Wednesday following a procession and rasta roko by the Students Federation of India (SFI).

Nearly 4,000 students of job-oriented courses, who had come here from across the State, took out the procession from the City Railway Station to Banappa Park. The students marched through Race Course Road, Seshadri Road, Palace Road and Kempegowda Road before staging the rasta roko near Bannappa Park.

The police closed the Kempegowda Road for nearly two hours. The blockade on Kempegowda Road affected vehicular movement on several roads in the area.

Though the police diverted traffic and allowed two-way traffic on one-ways such as Nrupatunga Road, it was still a bumper-to-bumper ride on many roads. Several Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation commuters bound for Mysore Bank Circle were put to hardship as they had to get off near the Hudson Circle and walk towards their destination.

Addressing the protestors, the SFI leaders said the Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh should meet them and give an assurance that all their problems will be solved. As Mr. Dharam Singh and Minister for Primary and Secondary Education R. Ramalinga Reddy were away, Minister for Sports and Youth Services Jabbar Khan Honnalli met the protestors near Banappa Park and received a memorandum from them.

Mr. Honnalli told the students that the Chief Minister would meet a delegation of SFI leaders at 1.30 p.m. on Thursday. He said he had also discussed their demands with the Chief Secretary B.K. Das.

Following the assurance given by the Minister, the protestors dispersed peacefully. The SFI leaders said they would hold a demonstration in front of the Chief Minister's residence on Thursday if their demands were not fulfilled.

Demands

The SFI urged the Government to improve the infrastructure at job-oriented course institutions by providing more classrooms, libraries, laboratories and furniture.

They also urged the Government to drop the proposal to start short-term courses under self-financing system and withdraw the order fixing fees of Rs. 250 for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students and Rs. 450 for students of other sections.

The students also demanded that the Government regularise the services of job-oriented course teachers who have put in a service of 15 years and more.