SSLC evaluation affected
The first day of evaluation of SSLC examination got off to a bumpy start with Karnataka bandh keeping away teachers in nearly 14 districts on Saturday. In Tumakuru, members of Kannada organisations barged into the evaluation centre and disrupted work through the day.
The evaluation was supposed to start in 22 of the 34 educational districts, said Yashoda Bopanna, Director, Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board. Attendance was low in Ramanagaram, Kolar and Chickballapur districts.
“We had instructed the DDPIs (Deputy Director of Public Instruction) in each district to take a call based on the situation there… Full-fledged evaluation will begin on Monday,” she said.
Roses for not downing shutters
In Hubballi, members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike thanked shopkeepers and businessmen with flowers for not responding to the bandh call. With most people sceptical of the bandh in north Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka region, on the ground that their irrigation demands are not looked upon sympathetically by people in south Karnataka, the bandh had little impact in these regions.
Coast cold to bandh
Life in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi remained unaffected by the Statewide bandh on Saturday. Kannada organisations and activists here were upset that organisations in Mysuru and Bengaluru regions did not support the fight against the Netravati diversion project or Yettinahole project. However, senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary chided Dakshina Kannada residents for not supporting the bandh.
Medical stores closed; patients keep away from hospital s
Of the 30,000 medical stores in the State, nearly 22,000, including nearly 10,000 in Bengaluru, remained closed on Saturday. However, this did not create a major problem for patients as drug counters in hospitals and nursing homes were open, according to D.A. Gundu, president of the Karnataka State Pharmacy Council. While the bandh kept patients away from hospitals, ambulances were put to best use for transporting hospital staff. Patients flow was less than 40 per cent of the usual, sources said. The number of emergency calls made to Arogya Kavacha 108 ambulance service on Saturday was 1,510 against 1,331 calls on Friday, a spokesperson said.
Passengers affected
With the bandh affecting public transport, passengers arriving in Bengaluru railway stations and bus station were severely affected and were forced to either pay through the nose for autos or wait till around 4 p.m. when the city started to return to normality. Inter-city transport was also affected. Passengers occupied benches in the City Railway Station and Kempegowda Bus Station and slept wherever they could find space. Those taking bus to Kempegowda International Airport were affected. While a majority of autos stayed off the road, cab services, including Ola and Uber, did not operate.
Three students assaulted by police
Three students, all Kannada activists, were allegedly assaulted by the police as they were picked up for trying to burn tyres near Yelahanka. They — Chandru, Vinay Kumar and Prashanth — have now alleged that Yelahanka police assaulted them in the police station before letting them off. Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi confirmed that the three were picked up and let off later. However, he denied knowledge of any assault.
Vidhana Soudha, govt. offices deserted
The ever-crowded Vidhana Soudha was deserted on Saturday. While no Minister visited his/her office, bureaucrats too stayed away. Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee was the only exception. He came to his office in the Vidhana Soudha before travelling to Mekedatu for a spot inspection. Most of the offices in the Vidhana Soudha were not even opened. A personal staff of a bureaucrat said though he wanted to come to office, he could not do so as his car driver did not turn up. All government employees had responded to the bandh call.
Pavagada remains aloof
Pavagada taluk in Tumakuru district decided not to participate in the bandh saying that their demand for drinking water project had not evoked a good response from activists in the rest of the State. Taluk president of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Mahesh S. said, “People here are drinking water with fluoride content and suffering from diseases. We want support for our problem.”
In Tumakuru city, the bandh was total. Shops, hotels, cinemas and other commercial establishments remained closed. Rallies were taken out by several organisations in support of the Mekedatu project.
Bandh total, peaceful in Kolar
People in Kolar, accustomed to bandhs and other means of protests demanding permanent irrigation projects, responded positively to the Karnataka bandh call in support of Mekedatu project. The bandh was by and large peaceful in Kolar district, bordering Tamil Nadu. It evoked good response in the neighbouring Chickballapur district too. Tight security arrangements were made in areas bordering Tamil Nadu.
Transportation of vegetables to Bengaluru and other places was affected as trading at the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee yard was hit by the bandh.
A large peepul tree, said to be about 30 years old, near Sarvajna Park at College Circle in the heart of the town crashed on Saturday afternoon. No one was injured as there were not many people out on the streets as it was a bandh day.
