By Shweta Jena
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik ordered the halt of buses traveling to Karnataka on Saturday in the aftermath of an attack on the driver and the vehicle in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Later on Tuesday, the Ministry announced that they were considering posting cops on the state buses traveling to Karnataka.
The attack on the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus and its driver on Friday night in Chitradurga was allegedly done by pro-Kannada activists. On that same day, another report of the alleged assault of a conductor of the transport buses of Karnataka in Belagavi, a bordering state of Maharashtra came to notice.
The Maharashtra Ministry of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam, said it is the Karnataka government’s responsibility to give security and protection to fellow passengers, and if they won’t then the Maharashtra State Government will.
There has been a long-standing dispute over language in these states. Belagavi region of Maharashtra which is highly Marathi-populated demands the border district of Karnataka to merge with them and be a part of Maharashtra, which is highly opposed by pro-Kannada activists. These incidents of assault have deepened the border tension in those two states.
According to the Minister, senior transport department officials were negotiating a solution with the Karnataka government. “As minister of transportation, I have to consider our passenger’s safety. We might consider placing security measures i.e. cops and guards on our state-run buses that travel to Karnataka if there is any antisocial behavior,” Sarnaik stated. He further added that Marathi is a symbol of their pride and the safety of the passengers must be crucial, hence the issue will be discussed in the state cabinet meeting as well.
The suspension of buses has severely affected the lives of daily commuters traveling to and forth from one state to the other for work, study, or family. While some private transport still operate their services are uncertain and expensive for the time being.