The city witnessed chaotic scenes on Tuesday evening as the traffic along MG Road towards East Fort came to a halt following a two-hour flash protest by the KSRTC staff against the arrest of one of its drivers.The protest was against the police action against a driver who refused to cooperate with the breath test for drunk driving.
A Venad bus was conducting service from East Fort to Neyyattinkara when the traffic police, led by the Fort SI, stopped it around 6.30 pm. But the driver, identified as S K Mani, 41, from Pappanamcode depot refused to undergo the test. According to the police, when he tried to evade the test, they became more suspicious and took him into custody.
The news of his arrest resulted in the staff staging a flash strike, putting commuters at inconvenience. Around 200 buses, including 87 operating from the East Fort depot and others from 11 depots, joined the strike and left their vehicles on the road. The public mood was against KSRTC for the situation. The angry passengers destroyed the glass panes at the garage. Many, including women and children, were seen looking anxiously from the bus.
The traffic on MG Road was diverted from Overbridge Junction and the traffic from Manacaud and Killippalam were diverted from Attakulangara. However, the traffic was restored to normalcy by 8 pm after dispersing the protesters.City Police Commissioner H Venkatesh said the issue turned worse when the driver refused to undergo the medical test for drunk driving. “Whether he had drunk or not is a second thing. If he was not drunk, why did he refuse to undergo the test. We have sought a report from the KSRTC officials in this regard and appropriate measures will be taken accordingly,” he said.
“The staff decided to end the protest after it was agreed to free the arrested driver without any condition. I have directed them to start extra service for the convenience of the stranded passengers,” KSRTC Executive Director (Operations) said.
The long line of vehicles on MG Road after the KSRTC bus crew went on a flash strike against the arrest of a driver Photo : kaviyoor santhosh
News Source : Tha Hindu