Mumbai: Bus services between Maharashtra and Karnataka have been suspended owing to fresh escalation in the Marathi-Kannada language row. Nearly all bus operators between the two states, including the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), have halted their services fearing for the safety of passengers and staff, which has sent air fares between Mumbai and Bengaluru soaring.
“Almost all private bus operations between the two states have come to a halt over simmering tensions in the border areas of both states,” said Murad Naik, vice chairman of the Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathana.
Belgavi and its neighbouring areas in north Karnataka have been the focal point of a decades-long territorial and linguistic dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra. The border district has a significant population of Marathi speakers and has seen multiple protests and violence on linguistic issues in the past.
Last week, tensions erupted afresh when a KSRTC bus conductor was allegedly assaulted in Belagavi village following an altercation with two students for speaking in Kannada, not Marathi. On Friday, a Marathi-speaking MSRTC bus driver was allegedly assaulted by a pro-Kannada group. This prompted a protest by Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday night in Pune’s Swargate area, during which buses bearing Karnataka registration numbers were smeared with black paint.
KSRTC and its arms run at least 120 buses every day from Belgavi to different parts of Maharashtra while MSRTC runs another 250 daily services to the southern state. Additionally, around 500 daily services are operated by private players. The simmering tension in border areas have led to the suspension of nearly all these interstate bus services, said sources. The services would not be resumed till tensions died down, the sources added.
Among the routes affected are those originating/ terminating at Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Dharashiv, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sawantwadi, Belgavi, Mysuru, Bengaluru, Bijapur and Niphani.
Passengers who had booked tickets on these routes are being refunded the fare, said Naik from the Mumbai Bus Malak Sangathana. “People are also cancelling their tickets and opting for other modes of transport,” he said.
Sohail Kazi, who wanted to travel from Mumbai to Bengaluru, said he had to alter his travel route owing to the simmering tensions and suspension of bus services.
“Instead of taking a direct bus to Bengaluru, I will now head to Goa and take another bus from there for the onward journey,” he said. Though travelling via Kolhapur in Maharashtra was also an option, Kazi feared being stranded there or being fleeced by taxi drivers willing to cross the state border, he said.
The developments have sent air fares between Mumbai and Bengaluru soaring, up to ₹30,000 in some cases. On Sunday, tickets on Indigo’s late evening flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru were selling for ₹17,500, while Akasa Air’s late night flight was priced at ₹12,000. The most expensive was Air India’s flight at 9.30pm, with each ticket costing ₹30,000. For flights from Bengaluru to Mumbai, fares on Sunday ranged from ₹10,000 to ₹23,000.
Both state governments are assessing the law and order situation prior to taking a call on resuming public transport, said senior officials monitoring the developments.