MYSURU: Several taluks in Mandya and Mysuru districts observed a bandh on Tuesday in response to the call given by farmers and prominent Kannada organisations against the release of Cauvery water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Shops and other commercial establishments downed shutters and protesters held rallies in the two districts. Schools and colleges had declared a holiday in view of the bandh call. Members of Kannada organisations along with workers of BJP, BSP and JDS staged protests at Malavalli demanding that the State stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu.
Members of Jaya Karnataka, Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Dr Raj Kumar Kala Sangha, autorickshaw drivers’ association and advocates led by JDS leader K Annadani organised a bike rally in the town. Public transport was not affected and some protesters performed “urulu seve”.
At Halaguru, farmers blocked the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, disrupting traffic for a few hours. However, tahsildar Sunil convinced the protesters not to disrupt traffic on the highway. Farmer leader Kunturu Somashekar said if the Government did not stop releasing water to Tamil Nadu, they would lay siege to the pumphouse from where drinking water is pumped to Bengaluru.
Farmers along with members of autorickshaw and goods vehicle owners’ associations observed a bandh at KR Pet. The protesters formed a human chain at Travellers’ Bungalow Circle. Meanwhile addressing reporters in Mandya, irrigation expert Arjunahalli Prasanna Kumar alleged that the BJP, Congress and JDS are responsible for the “injustice” meted out to farmers of the State in terms of sharing Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu. In Mysuru district, farmers’ organisations and Kannada activists staged protests in T Narasipura and KR Pet taluks and held rallies in Mysuru city.