Mekedatu Dam Row: Karnataka Bandh on Saturday Likely to Affect Normal Life

The bandh, to be observed on Saturday, called by pro-Kannada organisations against Tamil Nadu's opposition to Mekedatu dam project on the Cauvery River is likely to affect normal life in Karnataka as auto and truck drivers' unions have decided to support the strike. 

Read: Latest Updates as Bangalore Braces for Shutdown on Saturday

While daily commuters will face immense difficulty is auto unions decide not to ply on 18 April, transport of goods will be affected if truckers stay off the roads, according The Times of India report.

It is not clear as yet whether other public transport services will support the strike or not but the head of Kannada Okkuta – a forum of pro-Kannada organisations – Vatal Nagaraj had earlier said that the day-long bandh will not affect public services such as milk supply, hospitals and public transport.

The Kannada organisations will hold peaceful rallies in Bengaluru on Saturday. A procession will be held from Town Hall to Freedom Park, from where they will head for Chief Minister's official residence to submit a memorandum, according to PTI's earlier report.

"We will then proceed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's official residence 'Krishna' and hand over a memorandum. We expect over a lakh people to join us on that day. Pro-Kannada groups will hold similar rallies across the State," Nagaraj said.

The pro-Kannada organisations want the state government to build Mekedatu drinking water storage and power generation plants on the Cauvery without succumbing to the pressure of the Tamil Nadu government.

Earlier in March, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, along with Parliamentarians, moved a resolution seeking the central government's intervention in stopping Karnataka to build a dam, and even wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same.