
Bike Taxi ban in Karnataka: What do people say?
On June 16, app-based bike taxi operations screeched to a halt across Karnataka, following the Karnataka High Court's refusal to stay an earlier order mandating the suspension of such services.
#WeneedBikeTaxi continued to trend on social media, as students and IT professsionals have felt the loss of an economical, first and last mile option in the city.
We spoke to people to know their opinion about the ban.
Presentation: Nalme Nachiyar
Video & Editing: Ravichandran N

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Agency: PTI Bengaluru, Aug 13 (PTI) The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed two petitions challenging the state government's decision to mandate the installation of smart pre-paid electricity meters for new consumers, despite concerns over their high cost compared to neighbouring states. Justice M Nagaprasanna, who reserved orders on July 22, noted that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) raising similar issues is already pending before a division bench. 'Judicial discipline demands hierarchy, and propriety requires this court to show judicial hands off to the present petitions. Therefore, the subject petitions are not entertainable," the judge said. The court also recorded an earlier submission from Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty that the state would not compel the petitioners to install smart meters in their residences since these were not new connections. During earlier hearings, the bench had remarked on the stark price difference between Karnataka and other states, observing, 'Everywhere else it is Rs 900 for the same smart meter, here you are charging Rs 8,900 — where will poor people go? You have outsourced the work; this is dangerous. You are squeezing the poor." An interim order had been issued then, preventing the state from making smart meters compulsory in situations not covered by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (Pre-paid Smart Metering) Regulations, 2024. Representing one of the petitioners, Senior Advocate Lakshmy Iyengar argued that the policy would eventually affect all consumers, questioning the tender process and highlighting the financial burden when other states offer the same meters at a fraction of the cost. Advocate General Shetty, however, maintained that the requirement applies only to new households, not to existing electricity consumers. PTI JR ROH view comments First Published: August 13, 2025, 20:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Indian Express
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Karnataka HC disposes of plea against transport strike after unions submit resolution
The Karnataka High Court Thursday disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against a strike by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and other transport corporation employees after receiving a resolution stating that it has been called off. A bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi heard the matter. The resolution submitted to the bench stated, 'After taking into account the advice of legal consultants and with due deference to Hon'ble High Court of Karnataka…. decides unanimously to call off the indefinite strike of the Road Transport Corporations Employees, as per the Hon'ble Court's direction, all over the state with immediate effect.' The petitioner's counsel had requested that a time frame be set to decide the disputed issues to prevent such a situation from arising again. A Joint Action Committee of the four state transport corporations has been demanding a 25 per cent pay hike, dated January 1, 2024, settlement of 38 months of payment arrears starting from January 2020, and wage revisions. The PIL against the strike, filed by several commuters relying on the transportation services, had argued that the strike would result in grave harm to vulnerable sections of the public, especially the economically weaker section. When the matter was initially heard by a division bench of the High Court this Monday, a direction was issued not to conduct the strike for a day pending the negotiations with the Karnataka Government, in light of the hardship to the public. However, there was a considerable reduction in services Tuesday. As reported by the Indian Express, Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) operated at just 29 per cent of its capacity, KSRTC at 43 per cent, and North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) at 59 per cent. Only Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) maintained near-normal operations, reporting 99 per cent of scheduled services. The Chief Justice's bench took exception to this, warning of possible contempt proceedings while directing the strike to be called off until the next day of hearing. The bench had also made an oral observation that the public could not be held to ransom.



