Bengaluru: The call for a statewide dawn-to-dusk bandh over Cauvery water-sharing dispute Thursday has lost steam, with deepening fissures within several Kannada organisations and influential stakeholders choosing to stay away from active participation.With a lack of unity among major Kannada organisations, the bandh is unlikely to have a significant impact on daily life. However, Federation of Kannada Organisations chairperson Vatal Nagaraj is defiant, declaring he will go ahead with the bandh even if he has to lead it alone.The unified call for a day-long bandh, issued a fortnight ago by Federation of Kannada Organisations, has received a lukewarm response from key stakeholders over the past few days. Organisations representing hotel and education sectors have chosen to distance themselves from the bandh and extended only moral support. “Deputy commissioners will have the discretion to decide on school closures based on law-and-order situation in their respective districts. No statewide directive on their closure will be issued,” said Vikas Kishor Suralkar, commissioner, dept of school education and literacy.On Wednesday, prominent factions of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) formally withdrew support for the bandh. Praveen Kumar Shetty, who heads a KRV faction, said, “We had called for complete shutdown on Aug 13 to protest Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s directions to release water to Tamil Nadu when our own reservoirs in the basin were almost bone-dry. However, with the revival of monsoon over the past few days, there has been a substantial inflow into the reservoirs, reducing concerns over possible shortage of potable water in the coming days. The state govt and chief minister have assured us they will seek Supreme Court’s intervention. Hence, we will not be a part of the bandh.”The KRV faction, headed by Narayana Gowda, was opposed to the bandh from the beginning.What will stay open?* All essential & public services * Hospitals, pharmacies & other medical establishments * Schools & colleges* IT, BT & ITEs companies* Govt offices & establishments* Industries & commercial establishments* Shopping malls* BMTC, KSRTC & Namma Metro services* Autos, taxis & cabs* Private & school buses* Airport taxi services* Hotels, darshinis, bakeries & condiment shops* Garment establishments* Markets, APMC yards * Street vendorsWho is supporting bandh?* Vatal Nagaraj-led Federation of Kannada Organisations* Kannada Sene* Kannada Jagruti Vedike* Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS)QUOTEWhile some organisations have called for bandh, others have refused to be a part of it. We request people to maintain peace and cooperate with police personnel in maintaining law and order. We will not tolerate individuals or groups indulging in anti-social activities or forcing shops, commercial establishments and other businesses to shut down—-Seemant Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City
