Bhubaneswar: The Cauvery water issue over Karnataka sharing water with Tamil Nadu has been simmering for a long time now. It has now resulted in farmers unions and pro-Kannada organisations calling for a Karnataka Bandh on Friday after the Cauvery Regulatory Committee (CWRC) ordered the release of 3000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu.
The bandh is likely to impact normal life, especially in the southern part of the state. All schools and colleges have been shut in Mandya and Bengaluru districts. Protestors belonging to Kannada Okkuta’, an umbrella organisation for Kannada outfits including factions of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, Kannada Chalavali (Vatal Paksha) and various farmers bodies will take out a procession from Town Hall to Freedom Park in Bengaluru. They are also likely to shut highways, toll gates, rail services, and airports, according to agency reports.
Authorities have clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in Bengaluru Urban, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Ramanagara and Hassan districts,
Forty-four flights scheduled to take off and land at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru early on Friday have been cancelled — 22 of these were incoming and 22 outgoing. Airport authorities have said it was due to operational reasons, and passengers were intimated within time. However, sources said cancellations happened due to the Karnataka Bandh as many passengers had cancelled their tickets, NDTV reported.
