Bengaluru bandh | TNSTC suspends bus services from Nilgiris to Karnataka

TNSTC buses temporarily stop services b/w Nilgiris-Bengaluru/Mysuru due to Karnataka bandh. TNSTC in contact with police to assess situation & decide on resuming services. Tourists/travellers faced hassles. Police strengthening presence at checkposts to ensure safety of visitors.

Seven TNSTC buses plying from the Nilgiris to Bengaluru and Mysuru stopped services temporarily on Tuesday, September 26 as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers. The services were stopped due to the bandh called by pro-Kannada organisations in Karnataka protesting against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

TNSTC officials stated that four of the seven buses ply to Mysuru while three travel to Bengaluru every day from the Nilgiris. “However, we have been in constant touch with the Nilgiris district police, who gave us warnings that the buses could be targeted in certain parts of Karnataka, and as a result, services have been temporarily halted,” said the official.

The police and TNSTC officials continue to remain in contact and will take a call on whether services can be resumed on Wednesday. Tourists and travellers trying to reach their destinations in Karnataka faced a lot of hassles on Tuesday.

S. Bharath, who had spent his weekend along with his friends in Udhagamandalam and had planned to travel back by public transport on Tuesday, said that he and his friends were unable to find any buses to travel back to Karnataka.

“We now have to spend almost ₹1,000 each to take a private bus back to Bengaluru, as taxis too are either unwilling to travel or are charging extortionate amounts to drop us back,” he said.

When contacted, K. Prabhakar, Nilgiris district Superintendent of Police, said that police presence had been strengthened at border checkposts in the Nilgiris to ensure that there was no retaliation against Karnataka-registered vehicles. “So far, there have been no disturbances, and we will take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of visitors,” he said.