The Statewide bandh called by the Kannada Okkoota in protest against the interim ruling of the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal that rejected Karnataka’s application for diversion of 7 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi for meeting the drinking water requirements of North Karnataka districts did not evoke any response in Kalaburagi, Bidar and Raichur districts on Saturday. While it received mixed response in Yadgir and Vijayapura districts, the bandh was total in Bagalkot district.
Kannada organisations staged a protest at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Chowk in Kalaburagi, blocking the traffic for a few minutes. Shops, business establishments, hotels, and markets were open. The North-Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) operated mofussil and city bus services normally and other modes of public transport such as autorickshaws plied normally. The district administration had not declared a holiday for schools and colleges.
Schools and colleges functioned as usual in Bidar district and government and private offices remained open. NEKRTC buses and private vehicles plied as usual. Police personnel were posted at the railway station, post office, and BSNL office after Nava Nirmana Sene members announced that they would stage a dharna outside a Central government establishment.
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Members of Kannada organisations walked from the Ambedkar Circle to the district post office and the city railway station shouting slogans against the Union and State governments. Police stopped them from laying siege to Central government offices. Then, the protesters gathered in front of the railway station, shouted slogans and burnt tires.
‘No support for struggle’
Shops, trading units, educational institutions, theatres, hotels and other business establishments functioned as usual in Raichur district. The public transport system too was not affected. However, around 40 activists of the Karanthiveera Sangolli Rayanna Yuva Sene staged a demonstration outside the office of Deputy Commissioner and burnt an effigy of Union government. In Sindhanur, activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike and other organisations took out a procession from the Inspectors’ Bungalow through the major streets to the post office. The police prevented them from laying siege to the post office. In Hutti Gold Mines, Janata Dal (Secular) along with Kannada organisations and Dalit outfits took out a protest march and staged a demonstration near the bus stand.
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“People in Hyderabad Karnataka fought with the Union government for 20 years to get the special status. But, rest of Karnataka did not support the struggle. It is because of this reason that people of the Hyderabad Karnataka have developed a kind of non-responsive attitude towards the issues of rest of Karnataka,” Razak Ustaad, vice-president, Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti, told The Hindu .
Shops, hotels and business establishments remained closed till 1.30 p.m. in Yadgir district. School, colleges, cinema halls and petrol pups functioned as usual. The NEKRTC suspended bus services at 11 a.m. in city limits and rural areas following a demand by activists. However, the service resumed by 2 p.m. Private transport service, including autorikshaws, plied as usual. Activists of Kannada organisations and farmers’ organisations staged demonstrations in Yadgir city.
Complete in Bagalkot
As Badami and Hunagund taluks of Bagalkot district are affected by the outcome of the verdict, there was a good response to the bandh call in the district. Shops, educational institutions and business establishments remained shut.
In Vijayapura district, though government offices and shops remained open, some educational institutions declared a holiday in the morning. Long-distance buses, mainly heading towards Dharwad, did not ply, and local buses largely remained unaffected. The activists were seen forcing shopkeepers to down their shutters. The Bar association boycotted court proceedings and submitted a memorandum to the government through the district administration. The response to the bandh was total in Muddebihal and Sindgi taluks.