Karnataka bandh as schools, private offices shut as Cauvery waters drain out

Bengaluru,Sept9:A statewide bandh called by Kannada Okkoota, a union of hundreds of pro-Karnataka and farmer outfits to protest a Supreme Court order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu despite shortages in the state, is expected to totally disrupt normal life Friday.

The bandh call has received widespread support from several groups, including unions for taxis, bus services, and the film industry. Opposition BJP and JD(S) are also supporting the bandh call.

While the Congress government is not officially backing the call for bandh, it is likely to offer tacit support given the sensitivity of the issue. Schools and colleges have declared a holiday on Friday and public transport, including buses and the Bengaluru Metro, will not be operational. Private firms, including IT companies, have asked employees to stay at home for the day.

• In state capital Bengaluru — which solely depends on the river for drinking water to its 10-million citizens — the IT industry, comprising software majors Infosys and Wipro and about 400 multinationals, have declared a holiday.
• Government schools and colleges will be shut to prevent inconvenience to students and teachers.
• Though government offices will remain open, attendance is likely to be thin in absence of public transport. Airport taxis will not run. Autos are likely to be off the road. Even the Bengaluru Metro services will be shut, at least in the morning.
• Hospitals and supply of milk will be unaffected. But medical shops are expected to remain closed. Banks and restaurants are also likely to stay shut too.
• The protests over water had started in Karnataka’s Mandya district on Monday after the Supreme Court ordered the state to release 15,000 cusecs of water for the next 10 days.
• While the district remains the heart of the protest, a huge section of the population is voluntarily supporting the shutdown declared by the pro-Karnataka parties.
• Karnataka says it does not have enough water for drinking or irrigation. The level of water in the four of the state’s reservoirs on Cauvery is lower than usual.
• The farmers had not been getting water from dams – the release to them started only on Thursday.
• The Congress government of the state has appealed for peace, but would not be unhappy at the message being sent out by the state over the release of water. The opposition BJP is also supporting the protest.
• Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda of the JD(S) has an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss the issue and explain Karnataka’s point of view.