Bandh hits normal life in Karnataka

Normal life was crippled in the entire state in the wake the bandh, over the boundary row with Maharashtra .

Normal life was crippled in almost entire state on Wednesday in the wake of a dawn-to-dusk bandh called by pro-Kannada outfits on the Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary row.

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Autorickshaws and taxis remained off roads and only skeletal bus service operated in the state capital. With schools and colleges closed, a holiday mood prevailed in the tech hub.

Functioning of banks and government offices was also affected and most IT firms here remained closed.

The bustling Majestic area, a commercial hotspot with a concentration of cinema theatres, was deserted, Cinema theatres across the city were also closed and movie-related activities paralysed as the Film Chamber of Commerce also extended support to the bandh.

People confined to their homes got only Kannada channels to view on their television sets as cable operators blacked out all non-Kannada ones.

The bandh called by 'Karnataka Border Agitation Committee' -- an umbrella organisation of pro-Kannada outfits -- to put pressure on the Centre to implement the Mahajan Commission report on the boundary issue evoked "good response" in most parts of Karnataka, official sources said.

Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, Bellary,Chitradurga, Shimoga, Tumkur, Gulbarga and Davangere responded well to the bandh call, they said.