Shops downed shutters and private vehicles were off the road at delta districts in Tamilnadu today following a day-long bandh call given by farmer associations part of the Joint Movement for Cauvery Basin Protection. The movement, floated by the Communist Parties last month, had apparently received the support of the Farmers Wing of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The bandh is being observed to demand Karnataka to release River Cauvery water in order to save standing kuruvai paddy and to commence samba cultivation. Normal life came to halt in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai, besides Pudukottai, Tiruchi, Ariyalur and Cuddalore districts.
The crop on around 2 lakh acres had withered for want of water as the Karnataka government had failed to release water into the Cauvery river as per the Supreme Court order and the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s directions.