As Bengaluru braced itself for a 14-day partial lockdown, which started on Tuesday night, people started leaving the city in droves. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) officials said that more than 70,000 people travelled from Majestic to various destinations on Tuesday. A majority of the passengers travelled to Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Bidar and Ballari.
“Compared to Monday, passenger footfall at Majestic and other stations was higher on Tuesday. KSRTC operated 2,000 buses till 9 p.m. Buses having reservation tickets were operated after 9 p.m.,” said a KSRTC official, adding that most of the buses were non-AC. As per protocol, only 50% of the seats were filled.
A majority of the people were migrant workers. However, the crowds were nothing like the exodus the city witnessed during the national lockdown in 2020. As the government has not imposed a ban on construction sites, labourers – for the most part – have chosen to stay back. People from other sectors, as well as those working from home, had started leaving the city over the last week itself in anticipation of a lockdown.
Other than RTC buses, passengers were seen waiting for inter-State private buses opposite Esteem Mall on Ballari Road and other areas with luggage.
Pile-up at toll gates
Vehicular movement at toll gates increased. At the toll gate near Nagasandra metro station on Tumakuru Road, people were seen travelling in vans and one group even in a tractor to reach their village. A garment worker travelling in a tractor to Tumakuru said, “ Due to government order, our factory will remain closed during the lockdown. So we are going home. It is always safer to be in villages than living in Bengaluru. Poor people cannot live in this city.”
Special train to Danapur fully booked in 3 hours
Railway officials on Tuesday urged citizens not to panic and said that trains would be run as per demand. Divisional Railway Manager (Bengaluru) of SWR Ashok Kumar Verma told The Hindu that on Tuesday all tickets on a special train to Danapur (Patna, Bihar) were booked within three hours of the announcement of the service.
“Considering the demand for trains to Bihar, we have announced one more train to Patna on Wednesday. We are ready to run trains as per the demand. Passengers need not panic,” he said.
