KSRTC, BMTC suffer Rs 5.4 cr losses

KSRTC, BMTC suffer Rs 5.4 cr losses
Deccan Herald

With public transport again becoming the favourite target of mob violence, as witnessed on Thursday, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation have reiterated their demand for government making good the losses suffered by them.

“Public transport is always the first to be attacked each time there is violence, and there is no way we can prevent it. As we do not have an external insurance agency, we have to mobilise our own funds to make good the loss. We have been requesting the government to compensate for the damages, but nothing has come out of it as yet,” rued Upendra Tripathi, Managing Director, BMTC. Nearly 200 BMTC buses were damaged in the riots that rocked the city on Wednesday and Thursday following Rajkumar’s demise.

“It is our obligation to reach passengers to their destinations. We have instructed our drivers to be careful in volatile situations, but we cannot leave our passengers stranded. However, we have to pay heavily each time there is a law and order problem,” added KSRTC Managing Director M R Sreenivasa Murthy.

The KSRTC and BMTC suffered combined losses to the tune of Rs 5.4 crore.