Bengaluru bandh on Tuesday has hit the small-time vendors, gig workers the most as the city's white-collar workers worked from home. Several farmers and pro-Kannada organisations had called for a Bengaluru bandh on Tuesday, over the Cauvery water dispute with neighboring state Tamil Nadu. IT, tech companies, and startups based in the city haf advised their employees to work from home due to the bandh.
A shopkeeper who runs a stationary store in Nandana Residency Layout, Dasarahalli, told Business Today: “I usually open my store from 8 AM in the morning and my shop is open until 10 PM. I sell books, pens, pencils, colours, everything. But due to the bandh my shop was shut today.”
Shops in Kalyan Nagar, a locality famous for its cafes and eateries, were also closed due to the bandh. A shopkeeper who runs a small bakery noted: “We usually stay open till 11 pm but we had to shut our shop early yesterday, around 9 PM. Our shop is closed today. Of course, business has been impacted.”
It is worth noting that the Ola-Uber Drivers' Association said in a statement that they would extend full support for the September 29 Karnataka bandh called by the pro-Kannada organisations, but they would not support bandh on Tuesday.
"Our services will be normal. This decision was taken in a meeting held in the presence of pro-Kannada and various organisations," the association said in a statement.
Despite their services being active, the number of rides have been slim when compared to normal working days, multiple drivers said. One cab driver who ferries passengers between Marathahalli and Bellandur/ HSR Layout said: “Every day I take rides from Marathahalli to offices around Bellandur and HSR Layout. But today since offices were closed, I did not get any rides.”
Another driver who had a similar experience added that in case they got rides, the prices on the rides were low.
“I usually ride around the city, but since there were not many rides, I went to the airport. I thought I might get some rides there, and I did, but the rates I got were so low. For example, the airport to Kanakapura Road is around Rs 2,000-2,200 depending on the time. But today I had to drop someone for the same route for just Rs 1,300. This was probably because there was no congestion on roads, or surge pricing due to low demands. But roads were empty, that rarely happens,” he said.
The dawn-to-dusk Bengaluru bandh called by local outfits over the Cauvery dispute evoked partial response on Tuesday, even as the protesting groups demanded implementation of the Mekedatu reservoir project, a proposal touted by state deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar as a solution for the inter-state river water dispute involving Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka has been maintaining that it is not in a position to release water, taking into account its own need for drinking water and irrigation for standing crops in the Cauvery basin areas, as there has been water scarcity due to deficit monsoon rains.