Karnataka bandh call likely to affect normal life in Bengaluru today

Bengaluru gears up for bandh on Fri; schools, colleges, IT-BT firms declare holiday; transport, hotels, eateries to be affected. Kannada orgs oppose releasing Cauvery water to TN; private & public transport, shops, theatres, hotels, restaurants to shut down; airport cabs may be hit.

Bengaluru is gearing up for yet another bandh scheduled for Friday, as Kannada organisations have declared a day-long shutdown across the state opposing releasing Cauvery water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. This bandh is expected to disrupt the daily lives of residents, with the possibility of private and public transport going off roads, shops, eateries and theatres shutting down, even as schools and colleges have been declared a holiday, as a precautionary measure.

Following the bandh call by Kannada organisations, numerous other organisations, such as public and private transportation unions, private school administrations, the film industry, as well as hotel and restaurant associations, declared their support.

The Autorickshaw Drivers Union (ARDU) has chosen to endorse the bandh and has called upon all auto-rickshaw drivers to show their solidarity by refraining from operating their autos. T.M. Rudramurthy, general secretary of the Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union in Bengaluru, said, “I urge all the city’s drivers to join in and contribute to the success of the bandh. Tomorrow, auto-rickshaws will not ply the streets for the entire day.”

Tanveer Pasha, the president of Ola, Uber Drivers and Owners’ Association in Bengaluru said that “We cab drivers always support the cause related to our water, language, and culture. All cab drivers will refrain from working to show our support for our farmers.”

The KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, representing Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) employees, has announced its support to the bandh and encouraged BMTC staff to refrain from driving bus services on Thursday at all depots. However, BMTC and KSRTC officials have asserted that services will remain unaffected, but they will go by the police advisory.

City residents may face disruptions in their access to hotel food as hotels have also supported the bandh. P.C. Rao, vice president of the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association, confirmed their support to the bandh. Additionally, the Karnataka State Hotels Association held a meeting on Thursday and decided to close all hotels across the State. B. Chandrasekhar Hebbar, the president of the association, said, “We conducted an online meeting with all our members across the State and have collectively decided to support the bandh.”