The State government has appealed for calm and security will be bolstered throughout the State as the bandh called on Friday to protest against the Supreme Court decision to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, is expected to be total.
Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appealed for peace. “We should not destroy our own property to protest the injustice meted out to us. Let the bandh proceed peacefully,” he said.
The 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. bandh over the emotive Cauvery issue is expected to be complete in most parts of the State. During a review of security arrangements with Home Minister G. Parameshwara and the top brass of the State police, the Chief Minister said 10 companies of Central forces, two each from the neighbouring Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and one from Maharashtra had been summoned to manage the law and order situation in addition to the State police which is on red alert.
Shutdown expected
On Friday, schools and colleges will be closed. Transport services — buses, cabs, autos, and metro in Bengaluru — will be crippled. while shops, restaurants, cinemas, malls and most companies will down their shutters. Information technology companies have either told their employees to work from home, or have declared a holiday and hope to make up for the business by working on a weekend later this month.
Inter-State road traffic is expected to come to a standstill as well, but trains and flights are expected to operate normally. However, passengers are expected to find difficulty in reaching the airport or railway stations. Airlines have advised passengers to reach the airport as early as possible for their flights.
Cable TV operators associations have announced blackout of all Tamil TV channels. More than 1,200 organisations and unions have expressed support for the bandh and several protest marches are expected to be held in Bengaluru, Mandya, Mysuru. The impact of the bandh is expected to be most severe in areas dependent on Cauvery water.
