Following the call given by some pro-Kannada organisations for a state-wide bandh in Karnataka on Thursday over the Mahadayi water sharing issue with Goa, the city of Bangalore will come to near shutdown and many buses and auto-rickshaws will be off roads.
The state government said it will deploy 15,000 police personnel in Bangalore city and the state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged residents to maintain peace during the bandh. "I appeal to all the people of Karnataka to maintain peace on January 25 bandh. Stringent action will be taken against anyone who takes the law into their hands and disrupts peace," he stated.
Otherwise, all schools and government offices will be closed. Though Deputy Commissioners of all districts will send out notices on the closure of government schools, the private schools' management association has already declared a holiday for their schools in view of the bandh.
Even Bangalore University and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) have postponed their exams scheduled on Friday, Jan. 25 to February 6.
Since North Karnataka KSRTC bus drivers have supported the bandh, public transportation in most parts of the state will be affected. KSRTC and BMTC have decided to ply their buses without any change unless there is any threat to the safety of their employees. In case of any threats to the employees of the two corporations, they said they would decide whether to stop the services in the city, said Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Managing Director V Ponnuraj.
Cinema halls throughout the state will remain closed and President of the Karnataka film chamber, Sa Ra Govindu, said that film shooting will not take place on Thursday in support of the bandh.
But the Bengaluru Metro will remain operational as usual. "We will not stop services. For now, it has been decided that the metro will run without any hassle," said Vasanth Rao, the Public Relations Officer of Namma Metro. Cab providers Ola and Uber will also be available on Thursday. Petrol bunks will also remain open on Thursday in Karnataka.
Since essential services like hospitals and medical shops are exempted from bandhs, they will remain open and those who are supporting the bandh will wear a black band in solidarity with the agitating farmers. The state farmers are seeking the central government intervention to resolve the Mahadayi river dispute.
