Many commercial establishments remained shut in various parts of Karnataka today after a bandh was called by Kannada organisations.
Many commercial establishments remained shut in various parts of Karnataka today after a bandh was called by Kannada organisations to protest Tamil Nadu's opposition to Mekedatu drinking water project across the river Cauvery.
The 12-hour statewide bandh badly hit the public transport services of Bengaluru, leaving thousands of commuters stranded at many places.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reiterated the state government's interest in building the dam, but neither the ruling Congress nor the opposition BJP and JD(S) have supported the bandh call.
Tamil Nadu has been against the construction of dams over the Karnataka stretch of the Cauvery fearing that it will affect the amount of water they receive despite the directives of the Cauvery Tribunal.
The two states have been at loggerheads over the sharing of Cauvery water for decades - and Tamil Nadu has also protested over the same issue - but those were against the construction of the Mekedatu Dam.
A protest march was held later in the day from Town Hall in the city to the Freedom Park after which a delegation will meet the chief minister and submit to him a memorandum demanding that the project be taken up immediately.
Mr Siddaramaiah in his budget speech, presented on March 13, has proposed preparing a detailed project report for construction of balancing reservoir on the upstream of Mekedatu across Cauvery river in Ramanagara district.