Maharashtra-Karnataka Bus Services Suspended For Second Day Over Language Dispute

The interstate bus services between Karnataka and Maharashtra remained suspended for the second day in a row on Sunday as protests continued over the ongoing dispute over language in the border district of Belagavi. The state transport buses to Maharashtra have been halted due to the  “volatile situation,” said Belagavi divisional controller Rajesh Potdar.

The Belgavi division in Karnataka which operates around 120 buses daily from Nippani, Chikkodi and Athani have suspended its services to the neighbouring state since Saturday afternoon (February 22). “To minimize inconvenience for passengers, we are operating buses only up to the state border,” he said. “From there, commuters are boarding Maharashtra state buses to continue their journey.”

Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik ordered the suspension of state transport buses to Karnataka on Saturday. The move came hours after a bus driver of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), identified as Bhaskar Jadhav, was allegedly attacked and his face was blackened by miscreants.

Also Read | MSRTC Bus Attack: Maharashtra Suspends State Bus Services to Karnataka Amid Tensions.

After this, all private bus operations between Karnataka and Maharashtra have come to half over fears of the tensions simmering in the border areas of the states, due to which ticket prices of the private buses for those who are operating between these states cost more. Some buses cost Rs 14,00 to Rs 18,00 for single sleeper seats. Around 250 MSRTC and 500 private bus services operating between the two states have been stopped.

The state governments of both states are assessing the situation before deciding on resuming public transportation services. The row stems from a dispute over language that took place in Belagavi on Friday when a bus conductor, identified as Mahadevappa Mallappa Hukkeri (51), was allegedly assaulted for not speaking Marathi.