Karnataka Bandh Today Over Mahadayi Water Dispute: 10 Facts
Over 15,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure law and order as dawn to dusk bandh kicks in across Karnataka over the Mahadayi water sharing issue
Karnataka Bandh over Mahadayi duspute; Chief Minister urges people to maintain calm
Bengaluru: Farmers and pro Kannada groups in Karnataka have called a bandh from 6 am to 6 pm over the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute. Over 15,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure law and order across the state. Protesters in some places attempted to block traffic Schools and colleges are closed in Bengaluru. Medical stores and hospitals are functioning normally. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has warned that no one should take the law in their hands. The BJP has accused the Congress-led state government of orchestrating the bandh as party chief Amit Shah will be in Karnataka today for the BJP's parivartana rally. The Mahadayi water sharing dispute is politically sensitive for the Congress and BJP in Karnataka as assembly elections will be held this year.
Here's your 10-point cheatsheet to this big story:
Schools and colleges in Bengaluru have declared a holiday and a number of exams have been rescheduled. Bangalore University has rescheduled Thursday's undergraduate and post-graduate exams to February 6.
Buses are off the roads but private taxis like Ola and Uber are running; roads are partially deserted as autorickshaws and cars are off the roads.
Bengaluru Metro is runinig as usual, for now. A spokesperson of Namma Metro said,"If and only if there is a hindrance to the safety of the passengers, we will inform police and stop services."
Around 15,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city; Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged people to maintain peace.
Emergency services are functioning and the Bruhat Bengaluru Chemists and Druggists' Association said though it supports the bandh, medical shop owners will wear black bands in solidarity.
The BJP says a bandh on the same day its party president Amit Shah was to address a rally in Mysuru was "politically motivated". Mr Shah's visit is to mark the culmination of the statewide Parivartana Rally of BS Yeddyurappa, the BJP's presumptive chief minister in the assembly elections.
The BJP claims it is not a coincidence, accusing the ruling Congress of being behind the change of date of the first bandh from the January 27 to the 25.
Another bandh has been called on February 4 when Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address a rally in Bengaluru. The BJP has in turn called for bandhs in districts when Congress President, Rahil Gandhi visits the state.
The BJP has been at the receiving end of protests on the Mahadayi issue. Farmers earlier had protested outside the party's office in Bengaluru in December, claiming that state party chief, BS Yeddyurappa, had not lived up to his promise to solve the water sharing issue by December.
Karnataka and Goa are locked in a tussle over the sharing of Mahadayi river waters. The river originates in Karnataka but largely flows through Goa before emptying into the Arabian Sea. The dispute grew over the last two decades after Karnataka's bid to construct barrages and canals to divert the waters for meeting the requirements Gadag, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Belagavi and Gadag districts, which are known to face acute water scarcity.
