KRISHNAGIRI: Government buses and trucks stopped operations to Karnataka on Tuesday, following a dawn-to-dusk Bengaluru Bandh called by several farmers’ associations and pro-Kannada organisations over the Cauvery water dispute.
But the government buses were operated till the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border near Hosur in Krishnagiri district, near Kolathur in Salem district, and Pulinjur in Erode district.
However, many passengers were affected due to the low frequency of the buses.
An official from the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC)-Salem division told TOI that they had instructed drivers to operate buses only up to the Hosur bus stand to avoid stone pelting on the vehicles. “After Hosur, we have advised the passengers to take Karnataka government buses to reach Bengaluru,” he added.
More than 400 government buses ply between Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu via Hosur daily. On Tuesday, all the buses were stopped at the Hosur bus stand.
“A total of 270 buses belonging to the Salem division ply between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka via Hosur, while the rest of the buses are operated from Vellore and Chennai daily,” the official added.
Salem range DIG S Rajeswari, Krishnagiri SP Saroj Kumar Thakur, Hosur DSP Babu Prasath and other officials monitored the situation on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border.
The Krishnagiri SP said that the Karnataka police were not allowing vehicles with Tamil Nadu registrations to travel beyond the border between the two states.
He said passengers were allowed to travel inside Karnataka in vehicles with registration from that state.
A heart patient from Salem, M Vadivel, 55, went to Bengaluru for his medical check-up in his car. The Karnataka police refused to allow him to travel towards Bengaluru in his car. Instead, they arranged a car with Karnataka registration to travel to Bengaluru.
“I have parked my car on the state border and went inside Karnataka in another car," he said.
The situation turned normal around 6pm, with government and private buses crossing the border. “Regular operations will be resumed from Wednesday,” the official added.
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