A meeting of the Karnataka State Congress Co-ordination Committee, chaired by Singh, made a decision to hold a series of mass contact programmes from September 27 to highlight the State government’s performance in different sectors.
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Though chief minister Siddaramaiah said that the government will brook no violence by protesters, city police sources admitted the force is tired given the consecutive protests and festival duty deployment.
The bandh has, especially, hit Bengaluru with the state government extending its tacit support to the protestors. No auto-rickshaws, cabs or government buses can be found on the roads.
On Tuesday, the government of Karnataka had chose to release water of Cauvery river, as in the wake of court order, protests intensified and farmers blocked the Bengaluru – Mysuru highway. “Those who have called for bandh should also take care”, he added. Though government offices are open, attendance is thin because of the absence of public transport.
While some private companies have declared a holiday on Friday, others are making alternate arrangements for employees to “work from home”.
“With the southwest monsoon retreating and prospects of more rains in the catchment areas of the reservoirs being bleak, the quantum of water (33.2 tmcft) will be barely sufficient for drinking water supply to Bengaluru, Mandya and Mysuru and very little for irrigation of agricultural fields”, admitted Siddaramaiah.
Earlier, on Monday the protesters blocked the vehicular traffic on the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru state highway by burning discarded tyres and effigies of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and placing barricades at many places enroute.
A section of farmers in the district staged a protest by walking into the river carrying stones on their head.
“The Tamil Nadu government should realise that it is duty bound to exert pressure on the Centre over the issue”.
The farmers had threatened a bigger agitation after the order and called for a bandh on Friday. “I appeal to farmers to be calm and restrained”, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted.
Echoing the views of other opposition parties, including the DMK, the CPI leader said the state government should convene an all-party meeting and take further steps on the issue. Police said the government has deployed extra forces – two companies each from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, one from Maharashtra and 10 from the central forces are now in Karnataka.
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Subsequently, on September 6, Karnataka released the Cauvery water amid snowballing protests by farmers.
