Mandya (Karnataka): Vehicular traffic on the Bangalore-Mysore road was paralysed and normal life affected due to a bandh call given on Saturday by an outfit of farmers, spearheading protests in this Cauvery heartland district to protest release of water to Tamil Nadu.
All shops and business houses across the district remained closed expressing solidarity with the stir called by Mandya District Hitharakshana Samithi to protest the Cauvery Monitoring Committee and Supreme Court directive to Karnataka to release water.
Public and private vehicles remained off the roads.
The district administration has ordered closure of schools and colleges on Saturday.
Vehicular traffic on Bangalore-Mysore road remained paralysed in the wake of protesters resorting to rasta roko at various parts of the district including Mandya and Srirangapatna, police said.
The protesters also raised slogans against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, reports reaching here said.
JDS activists took out a procession in Srirangapatna and in Pandavapura and also demanded Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar`s resignation for releasing water.
G.Madegowda, President of the `Cauvery Horata Samithi`, asked farmers to intensify the agitation till the ruling BJP government was ousted.
SP Koushalendre Kumar and Deputy Commissioner B.N.Krishnaiah said the situation was peaceful.
Armed reserve police were maintaining vigil in the KRS dam area. The water level in the dam this morning stood at 95.50 feet against the full level of 124.80 feet.
Inflow was 2164 cusecs and outflow 14394 cusecs.
Meanwhile, for the third day consecutive day no Tamil Nadu registration vehicle operated to Mysore and Chamrajnagar from Sathyamangalam near Erode in Tamil Nadu due to demonstrations by some Kannada outfits in some parts of the neighbouring state.
Lorry owners have stopped booking of goods to Mysore and, Chamrajnagar areas, trade sources said.
PTI
