All shut on bandh day

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Bengaluru wore a deserted look and hardly any traffic or pedestrians were seen on roads after activists declared a statewide bandh on Saturday to protest against state government’s decision to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The 6 am to 6 pm bandh was total. Thirty-two BMTC buses were damaged, and tyres burnt in different parts of the city, while passengers arriving in the city by trains and buses suffered the most as public transport had been cancelled, and a very few autorickshaws were plying.

Those who arrived at the Kempegowda bus terminus and City Central Railway Station were fleeced by a few autorickshaw drivers. Mrs. Shalini Singh, who arrived at the railway station along with her child, said that an autorickshaw driver demanded Rs 900 from Majestic to Basavanagudi. “Normally, it is around Rs 60. He told me he was ferrying me on humanitarian grounds. I had no choice,” she said. Thousands of passengers, who could not pay hefty auto fares, were stranded at the bus stand and railway station.

Activists of Kannada organisations blocked roads and set fire to tyres. Even residential areas, like Rajajinagar, were not spared. “We could not bear the stench of burning tyres as some activists set fire to them in ftont of our house. We had thought that the city would be free of pollution on the day of bandh, but burning tyres made our life miserable,” said Mr. Shankaranarayana Rao M., a resident of Rajajinagar.

Plastic, garbage, leaves and other waste material were set on fire in different parts of the city. Residents of Ranka Colony near JP Nagar panicked after burning plastic gave out plumes of smoke. Mr. Abhinav Gujjar, a software engineer at the apartment block, said around a dozen protestors started the fire around 2 pm. “I called the police, who arrived at the spot and contained the situation. Fortunately, the protestors chose a reasonably desolate lane, though they had started a big fire,” he said.

Incidents of tyre burning were reported from Silk Board Junction, R.T. Nagar, Freedom Park and Magadi Main Road. Buses and private vehicles were stoned in Rajajinagar, Okalipuram and near Sujatha Theatre.
As part of the bandh, cable operators blocked entertainment channels, while cinemas downed shutters. “Most essential services were hit, except the milk supplies,” said a police officer. Vidhana Soudha, BBMP headquarters and other government offices were deserted as most officials did not turn up to work.

Garbage collection was normal till 8 am. “BWSSB workers were seen engaged in routine work, like clearing the drainage, repairing water lines etc. Bescom service too was normal,” said an official. Metro trains kept running, though the number of passengers was less. In the afternoon, Kannada activists threatened to barge into the Metro station on MG Road. The police arrived at the spot and stopped them.