K'taka bandh today, normal life likely to be impacted

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Normal life is likely to be affected, especially in the southern part of Karnataka with pro-Kannada and farmers' organisations calling for ‘Karnataka Bandh' on Friday to protest the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

‘Kannada Okkuta', an umbrella organisation for Kannada outfits and various farmers' bodies have given a call for the statewide dawn-to-dusk shutdown.

There will be a massive protest procession from Town Hall to Freedom Park in the city, in which people from all walks of life are likely to participate, the organisers said.

They have said that the bandh is for the entire Karnataka and that they will try to shut highways, toll gates, rail services, and also airports. The opposition BJP and JD(S) too have extended their support to the bandh, as also hotels, autorickshaws and hail riders associations in Karnataka.

"Autorickshaw Drivers' Union and Ola Uber Drivers and Owners' Association (OUDOA) are supporting the bandh. We will take out a rally from Nayandahalli to the Freedom Park tomorrow," its president Tanveer Pasha told PTI.

An office bearer of the Karnataka State Private Schools' Association told PTI that they were extending ‘moral support' to the bandh. "We have told our association members to use their discretion regarding the bandh. We have communicated to our students that there are chances of schools remaining shut," the office-bearer said.

Meanwhile, the State Transport Department has issued directions to the state transport corporations to continue their services as usual. Farmers and traders in the northern part of Karnataka such as Ballari, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Bagalkote, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Hubballi-Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal and Davangere have extended their ‘moral support' to the bandh but said they will not shut down their businesses.

Meanwhile, a few activists on Thursday staged protests in the Cauvery heartland of Mandya.

Schools to remain closed

The Bengaluru district administration has announced a holiday for schools and colleges ahead of the Karnataka bandh on Friday.

General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in the state, D Shashi Kumar, said that they are considering reducing the duration of Dasara vacations.

He pointed out that bandhs have already cost schools two days worth of classes this month. Meanwhile, a few private schools are considering the option of conducting online classes on Friday.