Mangaluru, Sep 9: Except for educational institutions which were ordered to be closed by the Deputy Commissioner, life went on as normal in Mangaluru and the rest of Dakshina Kannada district on Friday when some parts of the State observed a bandh against the Supreme Court verdict on Cauvery waters.
Public as well as private transport vehicles, including buses, autorickshaws, taxis and goods vehicles plied in the district even as business establishments carried on with work as usual. The indifference of the people across the district towards the bandh could be attributed to the rest of Karnataka remaining insensitive to Yettinahole water diversion project issue not long ago.
Siddique, a porter at Central Market, said he, like many others, did not feel like supporting the bandh as people in other parts of the State, particularly in the Bengaluru region, have remained mute spectators to the Yettinahole project.
The Bhagawan Mahaveer (Pumpwell) Junction, where two national highways meet, remained busy since morning. Buses headed towards Kasaragod and areas such as Puttur, B.C. Road, Uppinangady and Dharmastala were packed with passengers.
Though the announcement of a holiday had been made on Thursday night, many students were unaware of it. “I came all the way from Thumbe (3 km away from city) only to see my college closed,” said Sudhir K., a first year diploma student of a college in Capitanio in the city. He and some of his classmates were waiting at Bhagawan Mahaveer Junction for buses to return home.
Udupi
City buses belonging to the private sector functioned as usual here. The Udupi-Mangaluru inter-district bus service functioned without any hindrance.
Even buses of the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) going to Mangaluru, Karkala and Kundapur functioned as usual. B.C. Pavaskar, Traffic Controller at Udupi KSRTC Bus Stand, said that the KSRTC buses on the long routes were cancelled due to the bandh.
As a result, some passengers on the long route were stranded at the KSRTC Bus Stand here. Muneer Ahmed, a shopkeeper, said that he had come to the KSRTC Bus Stand at 6 a.m. to catch a bus to Haveri. Since there was no service due to the bandh, he had no alternative but to wait till the evening, he said.
Business establishments were open and taxis and autorickshaws plied as usual here. Schools and colleges however remained closed in the district. According to the District Police Control Room, the situation in the entire district was completely peaceful.
Meanwhile, members of district units of Bharatiya Janata Party took out a padayatra and a held a protest over the Cauvery river water issue here on Friday.

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