Karnataka bandh evokes poor response

It was business as usual, commercial establishments were not impacted; train services were normal.

Bengaluru, June 12: It seems the people have rejected the bandh call. The dawn to dusk bandh called by pro-kannada activists turned out a damp squib due to poor response. The shops and business establishments remained open and traffic was not distrubed.

The agitators attempted to take out a rally from the Town Hall to the Karnataka Assembly but police bundled them into BMTC buses and took them to an undisclosed destination.The agitators wanted to lay siege to the Assembly in support of their demands.

While few educational institutions closed down voluntarily, business establishments, banks, government and private offices functioned normally. Life remained unaffected across Karnataka with KSRTC and private buses, autorickshaws moving freely throughout the day.

In Bengaluru, schools were seen working, private employees hurrying towards office and most importantly, public transport including BMTC and Metro rails running normally.

The bandh had little impact in Mysuru, Gulbarga, North Karnataka and in coastal districts too,
there's no response to Karnataka bandh. Police control room confirms it is life as usual with people going about their daily business as usual and vehicle movement normal.

High security

The Karnataka state police department in no mood to take any chance as pro-Kannada groups have called for a state-wide bandh deployed 15,000-plus police personnel, 78 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police and City Armed Reserve on the streets of Bengaluru.

Pro-Kannada organisations called for a Karnataka bandh today with various demands including farm loan waiver, Prime Minister's intervention in the Mahadayi river water dispute and a permanent solution to the problem of water scarcity in arid areas. The dawn to dusk bandh has been called by 'Kannada Okoota', an umbrella organisation of Kannada bodies.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that the 'Karnataka bandh' called by various organisations on Monday will not be successful. The state government had taken adequate precautions to ensure that normal life is not disrupted due to the bandh.

The Karnataka government has locked horns with the neighbouring Goa on the larger issue of sharing the Mahadayi River water between both the states.

OneIndia News