The Hindu : Front Page : People ready for today's bandh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 12, 2007
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People ready for today's bandh

Karnataka Bureau

There was panic buying of milk, vegetables and provisions on Sunday

TIGHT SECURITY: Central Industrial Security Force personnel were deployed on Kempe Gowda Road in Bangalore ahead of the bandh on Monday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: With more and more organisations expressing support for Monday's Statewide bandh, anxious citizens on Sunday prepared for a total shutdown of civic services. Although the bandh organisers have said that essential services such as milk supply and medical care will not be affected, people are taking no chances.

There was panic buying of milk, vegetables and provisions, leading to a sudden spurt in vegetable prices. There were also last minute cancellations of train, bus and air reservations.

Although Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) said that milk supply would not be affected, most consumers decided to stock milk on Sunday. According to an official from the KMF, an additional 5,000 litres of milk over the average daily consumption of 12 lakh litres was sold on Sunday. Mohammed Shafeeq of Shop Well Supermarket in Sanjaynagar said that on an average, they sold around 25 litres of milk a day. "However, customers have been coming in since early on Sunday to buy milk and other daily condiments. We have sold over 45 litres on Sunday," he said.

Vegetable prices, already high, saw a further increase on Sunday as people flocked to markets. A senior official of HOPCOMS said, "Since our vehicles are not likely to operate on Monday, we decided to open the outlets on Sunday so that the common man is not inconvenienced by the bandh," he said.

The eve of the proposed bandh also witnessed heavy rush at the City Railway Station and the Kempe Gowda bus stand. While the railway station witnessed almost double the normal traffic, the long-distance sectors of the KSRTC such as Belgaum, Hubli and Gulbarga recorded a steep increase in passenger traffic.

The BMTC and KSRTC will not run buses between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Most hospitals in Bangalore will operate their outpatient department and emergency services as usual, but with skeletal staff.

"We have asked Group-D employees, doing night shift on Sunday, to stay back and to continue work on Monday. All arrangements for them have been made. We have also requested doctors to render their services," K.V. Ashok Kumar, Medical Superintendent of Victoria Hospital, said.

The Manipal Hospital in Bangalore will operate eight ambulances for the help of patients who are not able to travel from their homes to hospital.

Meanwhile, police held flag marches in several sensitive areas of Bangalore.

In districts

Security has been tightened in other parts of the State as well for Monday's bandh. In Mysore, the bandh has won the support of practically every organisation. More than 2,500 police personnel will be deployed in the city.

In Bijapur, around 1,000 police personnel have been deployed in the city.

President of the Dakshina Kannada unit of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat Pradeep Kumar Kalkura said it would support the bandh call. Schools and colleges will be closed on Monday.

According to B.P. Diwakar, secretary, Dakshina Kannada Bus Operators' Association said private buses in the district will play as usual. The services would be stopped only if the situation warrants, he added.

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