Karnataka Bandh Over The Mahadayi River Dispute

Today the State of Karnataka will witness a shutdown as the farmers and some pro-Kannada groups called for a bandh. The bandh declared over the Mahadayi river water sharing dispute will be from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening. To ensure law and order officials have deployed 15,000 police personnel. Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has warned the people not to take the law into their own hands.

The BJP party has claimed the bandh was cunningly orchestrated by the Congress party as BJP Chief Amit Shah will be in Karnataka today for a rally. This Mahadayi water sharing dispute is a politically sensitive issue for both the BJP and Congress.

Many schools in Bengaluru have declared a holiday due to the bandh. The State transport buses will function as usual but private services might be affected. Taxi cabs and auto rickshaws will be off the road today. The State’s Metro will also function normally. A Metro spokesperson said, “If and only if there is a hindrance to the safety of the passengers, we will inform police and stop services.”

The dispute over the water from the Mahadayi river is between Karnataka and Goa. The river begins in Karnataka and flows through Goa. The Karnataka farmers want to build canals to divert the water to areas with water shortage.