Karnataka transport union strike hits daily life, Bengaluru Metro sees heavy rush
Public transport services have been severely affected in several parts of Karnataka including Hubballi, Davanagere, Hoskote, Bagalkote, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagara. Bus operations towards the Kalyana Karnataka and North-West Karnataka regions have come to a complete halt, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or forced to seek alternate modes of transport. Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, 'In Bengaluru, 100 per cent of buses are plying on the roads. In the districts, about 50 per cent of services are running and officials expect the situation to normalise by the afternoon.'He further said, 'A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Karnataka High Court regarding the strike. A hearing is scheduled for today, after which the government has said it will decide on further action.'Responding to criticism from the Opposition, Minister Reddy said the BJP had left the transport department saddled with a Rs 4,000 crore loan during their tenure. 'They never bought a single bus or recruited any driver or conductor. Now they are spreading lies,' he said.In response to the growing disruption caused by the strike, the state government has issued precautionary measures to minimise public inconvenience. In a letter dated August 2, Dr NV Prasad, Principal Secretary of the Transport Department, requested the Department of Information Technology to advise all private IT companies in Karnataka—particularly those in Bengaluru—to allow employees to work from home during the strike period. The government said the advisory aims to ease pressure on the transport network and ensure continuity of services during a time of limited mobility.The ongoing strike stems from a deadlock in negotiations between the Karnataka government and transport corporation employees. Talks held on Monday, including a two-hour meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, ended without resolution on the key issues of wage revision and arrears. The unions are demanding a 25 per cent hike over the current base pay of Rs 1,124, and arrears for 38 months—estimated at Rs 1,800 crore.While the Chief Minister appealed to the unions to withdraw the strike and offered to clear arrears for 14 months, union leaders refused, insisting on payment for the full period and an immediate start to wage revision talks. 'We worked all 38 months. This is not a fresh financial burden,' said HV Anantha Subbarao, president of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Staff and Workers Federation. He added that the issue had effectively narrowed to 24 months' arrears worth around Rs 1,000 crore.advertisementSiddaramaiah, however, termed the current demands excessive, noting that the previous government had already agreed to a 15 per cent hike and arrears from January 2022 to February 2023. 'Asking for 38 months now is not reasonable,' he said, citing the transport corporations' poor financial state. The CM reiterated the government's willingness to hold further talks, with Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and other officials present at the meeting.- EndsWith inputs from Nagarjun Dwarakanath
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The Wire
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The CQB carbine delivery timelines are expected to stretch over the next few years, with initial batches likely to be employed by Indian Army counter-insurgency units in Kashmir and the Northeast, where the absence of such a compact weapon small arms system has been most acutely felt. For soldiers used to presently lugging full-length assault rifles into tight alleyways or boarding helicopters with unwieldy weapons, the arrival of lightweight, rapid-firing CQB carbines will be more than an operational boost; it will finally usher in a vast operational change in counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. Meanwhile, KSSL will series produce the Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC) engineered by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, as part of a public-private partnership (PPP), under the MoD's atmanirbharta or self-reliance rubric. This carbine will also incorporate over 60% of content sourced indigenously. 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Jeet incorporates a rotating bolt with a short-stroke gas piston, a full-length Picatinny rail for optics, a folding/telescopic stock, ambidextrous controls for quick handling, and compatibility with standard NATO magazines. The ACE CQB has also been deployed for extended periods by the Israel Defence Forces in its numerous COIN operations and other conflicts against Palestinians and many of its neighbours where firefights often occur in confined spaces. The two carbines were shortlisted after technical evaluations and field trials involving other domestic vendors, partnering with overseas small arms makers. These included Jindal Defence and Aerospace – associating with Brazil's Taurus Armas, BSS Material in New Delhi, linking up with Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited and Bharat Electronics, which had tied up with Italy's Beretta. Over the years, the CQB carbine procurement process has been compelling and concerning, exposing both the Army's and MoD's procurement systems at their most ineffective, bogged down by delays, indecision, and missed opportunities. After acknowledging the operational shortcomings of the aging 9mm Sterling submachine gun in the late 1990s – particularly its limited range, stopping power, and accuracy – the Indian Army adopted a stopgap solution. It employed a shortened variant of the locally developed 5.56x45mm Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) assault rifle as part of its customary jugaad, or innovative fix, which only ended up highlighting its significant limitations and rendering it relatively ineffective for such specialised roles. Senior infantry officers said the INSAS rifle was not optimised for CQB scenarios, as its relatively longer barrel and overall dimensions made manoeuvring in confined spaces cumbersome. The absence of features like a folding stock or compact design further hindered its suitability for rapid movement and handling in close and restrained urban situations. Soldiers found it challenging to quickly reposition and engage enemy targets, simply due to the rifle's size and weight. But despite these obvious limitations, these shortened INSAS alternates remained in widespread use for years and continue even today. However, in 2002-3, the first global tender was floated for 44,618 5.56x45mm CQB carbines, with under-barrel grenade launcher compatibility. Several trials took place, involving major overseas small arms makers like the US's Colt, Italy's Beretta and IWI. 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The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
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