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.
Cabs, autos, and buses likely to stay off roads
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.
No hotels
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.”
The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha has declared it will block both the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and rail routes. “We will halt trains at Gejjalagere and obstruct all vehicles on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway near Gauripura,” they said.
Airport goers may also be hit
The airport goers may also be hit tomorrow since airport cabs are likely to stop their service. Anticipating difficulty in reaching the airport, some people are going hours ahead, while others are contemplating booking hotels at or near the airport.
Anamika, who has a flight from Bengaluru airport to Sydney at 6 p.m., is planning to go to the airport at 4 a.m. before the bandh to be safe.
In a passenger advisory issued by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) it stated “Due to the bandh called by various unions and organisations on September 29, we anticipate disruption in transport service, passengers are advised to plan their travel to and from the airport accordingly. Passengers are requested to follow alerts from respective airlines, law enforcement agencies and media releases for further updates.”
Work from Home
Meanwhile, most of the IT-BT companies and large private employers have decided to shut down the physical office on Friday and have asked their employees to work from home. The companies had adopted a similar strategy on Tuesday during Bengaluru Bandh call.
Holiday for schools and college in Bengaluru
The district administration has declared holiday on Friday for schools and colleges in Bengaluru Urban district following the Karnataka Bandh call given by various Kannada organisations.
Deputy Commissioner K.A. Dayananda, has issued an order declaring the holiday. Following this, the schools, colleges and universities have postponed the examinations scheduled on Friday.
And, the Bengaluru University has also postponed its 58th convocation, which was scheduled on September 29, earlier.
