Karnataka buses blackened at CBS

Border issue is for politicians, we bridge boundaries, say drivers-conductors

Aurangabad: Supporters of the Thackeray Sena group blackened the Karnataka bus and shouted slogans at the Central Bus Stand (CBS) on Wednesday morning. Panicked by the incident, the bus drivers of Karnataka said that the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute is only for politicians. We work to bridge boundaries. It is our job, our duty to provide passenger service and have no role in borderism.

The Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute has been raging for the past few days and its repercussions are beginning to emerge. Buses arrive at Aurangabad from various parts of Karnataka. Against this backdrop, police bandobast has increased at the CBS since Tuesday. Despite the bandobast, the Thackeray Sena activists raised loud slogans by blocking two Karnataka buses including the Aurangabad-Nipani bus at 5.30 am on Wednesday. They also wrote 'Jai Maharashtra' on the bus and raised slogans against the Karnataka government.

Driver-conductors in a state of worry

After the incident, there was a panic among the drivers and conductors of Karnataka buses. The Aurangabad-Bidar bus departed immediately after the incident, while the Hubli, Belgaum, Nipani and Gulbarga bus drivers avoided going ahead. If anything happens to the bus, the amount is deducted from the salary. It is our duty to provide passenger services. There is nothing wrong with us in borderism, said the driver. All this caused inconvenience to passengers.