Normalcy was maintained in Vellore during the Statewide bandh called by farmers’ unions opposing Karnataka government’s plans to construct a dam across Cauvery River at Mekedatu on Saturday.
A few shops were shut in the morning but public transport remained largely unaffected. Traders association staged a protest in support of the bandh at Long Bazaar. Share autos and buses plied as usual in Vellore.
R.B. Gnanavelu, president of Vellore Anaithu Vannigargal Sangam that staged the protest, said about 60 per cent shops, including textile showrooms, had downed the shutters on Long Bazaar and Sarathi Maaligai.
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“There are 52 lakh hectares of cultivable land in Tamil Nadu but crops are being raised only on 19 lakh hectares owing to failure of rains and water scarcity,” Mr. Gnanavelu said.
Already, water at Mettur was not adequate for farmers in Delta districts, he said, adding, “If the dam is constructed at Mekedatu, it will worsen the situation. Drinking water supply will also be hit. The Central Government, whether it is led by the BJP or Congress, does not take Tamil Nadu’s problems into consideration,” he added.