The Karnataka Transport Department has assessed at least four lakh people have left Bengaluru by bus and another two lakh are still waiting in various bus stations to go back to their hometowns.

A common sight at bus stands is of labour contractors trying their best to persuade workers not to leave while transport officials and police were constantly using loudspeakers to ask people to wear masks and maintain social distance.

According to a senior Transport Department official, the crowd was so huge that buses ran full, with nearly three lakh people leaving Bengaluru on state transport corporation buses and more than a lakh people using private transport. "Even though some labour contractors have succeeded in retaining few workers with them but large segments of the blue-collar workforce remained firm on their decision to leave Bengaluru," a traffic officer at Majestic bus stand said.

Labour contractor, Somashekhar Gowda said that it has become very difficult to retain workers. "For the last two days, I have been camping at the Yeshwanthpura bus stand and in front of Market Yard, from where many are leaving and one common thing to say - they cannot risk their children's life during the pandemic.”

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