BENGALURU: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress-led Karnataka government after a major disruption on Bengaluru metro‘s Purple Line left thousands of commuters stranded during peak hours.His remarks came a day after metro services were affected following a technical snag in a train at Cubbon Park Metro Station, leading to heavy crowding at stations and massive traffic congestion across the city.Sharing a purported video of commuters hitching rides on trucks and lorries, Surya criticised the state of urban infrastructure in Bengaluru.“First-world tech talent. Third-world governance. That is the story of Bengaluru,” he said in a post on X.According to Surya, metro disruptions have become increasingly frequent, and every such breakdown pushes the city into chaos.“Yesterday, hardworking professionals in India’s Silicon Valley were forced to hitch rides on trucks and lorries just to get home after work. They will wake up tomorrow, go back to office, pay their taxes, and endure the same broken system all over again,” he added.The disruption began around 6. 32pm on Tuesday after a train developed a technical snag at Cubbon Park Metro Station on the Purple Line.The incident led to heavy crowding at several stations, including Cubbon Park and MG Road, with office-goers forced to look for alternative modes of transport such as autorickshaws and app-based cabs.Several commuters took to social media to express frustration, with some reporting that ride-hailing apps declined bookings or took unusually long to process them, while others alleged that autorickshaw drivers charged exorbitant fares. Some commuters resorted to sharing cabs and autos to reach their destinations.Additional police personnel were deployed near metro stations to manage crowds and ensure public safety.Meanwhile, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said on Wednesday that the technical issue at Cubbon Park Metro Station had been successfully rectified by its Operations and Maintenance team.In a post on X, BMRCL said normal services across the entire Purple Line resumed as per schedule from 5am on Wednesday.The Namma Metro Purple Line connects Whitefield (Kadugodi) in the east with Challaghatta in the southwest.“BMRCL sincerely thanks all commuters for their patience, understanding and cooperation during the temporary service disruption,” it said.(With inputs from PTI)
