Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru, Sep 26: To protest Karnataka’s release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, a bandh has been declared for Tuesday in Bengaluru.
The “Karnataka Jala Samrakshana Samiti,” an umbrella group of farmers’ associations and other organizations led by farmer leader Kuruburu Shanthakumar, has called for the bandh to protest a decision by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to give 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
In response to the bandh the police in Bengaluru announced on Tuesday that they had created an appropriate bandobast and that no protest or procession will be permitted.
Following the bandh, the Bengaluru Police implemented Section 144 of the CrPC from midnight on Monday to midnight on Tuesday.
“..We have made adequate bandobast…as per the order of the commissioner, no protest or procession is allowed…traffic is normal,” Deputy Commisisoner of Police (central) Bengaluru Shekar T Tekkannavar said.
To preserve law and order, police have been stationed in the city’s Whitefield and Cottonpete. With the exception of those offering necessities, every store is closed.
A “Bandh” has been called for today in the city by farmer groups, Kannada organisations and opposition parties in protest of the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directive that the state release 5000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for 15 days starting on September 13.
Following the bandh, Dayananda K. A., the Deputy Commissioner for the Bengaluru Urban District, ordered a holiday for all city schools and institutions on Tuesday. The majority of the city’s private colleges and schools had previously announced a holiday for students on Monday.
At the Majestic Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Bus stop, Naseer Khan, an auto driver, stated that they support the bandh.
“We support the bandh called by various organisations. When the Cauvery water issue comes, we have a very clear stand that Karnataka will not provide water to anyone. Autos will not run today, we will support the bandh.”
Manju, a bus conductor, said, “As bandh has been called, no commuters are seen at Kempegowda bus stop, which is usually one of the busiest bus stops in the state.”
A commuter from Maharashtra reportedly had to pay 300–500 rupees for 12 miles during the bandh as auto drivers supporting the bandh are charging more than usual.
Restaurants in the city will be closed and taxis will continue to run as normal.
Airline Vistara, in order to minimise annoyance to the customers, issued a travel alert on Tuesday requesting travellers to plan their travels to and from the airport with caution as private transportation may be disrupted.
“Due to the ‘Bengaluru Bandh’ on September 26, 2023, private transport might be disrupted. Customers travelling from Bangalore are advised to allow more time for their journey to the airport,” the airline said in a post on ‘X’.
Siddaramiah, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, had urged parties not to use the protest as a political issue in his Monday statement.
“In a democracy, one can hold protests. We are not going to disrupt the protest. BJP-JD(S) are playing politics on this issue. There is a hearing before the Supreme Court regarding the Cauvery issue. Our lawyers will present a competent argument” the Chief Minister had said.
In the meantime, former PM Deve Gowda wrote to current PM Narendra Modi to request his involvement in the matter.
“I have made an appeal to the PM on the prevailing situation. In my letter to the PM, I wrote that the Jal Shakti department should file a review petition and a committee of experts should be sent to Karnataka to study the water and standing crop situation” Deve Gowda said.
