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Cauvery stir disrupts trains services in Bangalore

A 12-hour rail roko (rail blockade) in Bangalore on Sunday left thousands of commuters and long-distance passengers stranded as all train services to and from the city were disrupted from dawn to dusk. Services were expected to resume late in the night.

The agitation by farmers is against the release of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu, which Karnataka has suspended since September 18.

Even bus services between Bangalore and Mysore were affected due to road blockades at various places.

The agitation is being spearheaded by the Mandya District Farmers' Protection Committee headed by former state minister G Made Gowda.

About 2,000 protestors, mainly farmers from the nearby Mandya region, squatted on the railway tracks in the city and cantonment railway stations shouting slogans against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Several farmers courted arrest when they were prevented from boarding stranded trains at city and cantonment platforms.

As a result, all incoming trains from Guntakal and Jolarpet side were terminated at Yelahanka and Krishnarajpuram stations, respectively.

Earlier, train services between Bangalore and Mysore had been suspended to prevent any injuries to passengers and damage to railway property. Even inbound trains from Madras to Bangalore and Mysore were cancelled on 'Saturday night.

Southern Railway officials told rediff.com in Bangalore on Sunday night that as many as 12 trains had to be either cancelled or delayed resulting in cancellations by several passengers.

Train schedules have been disrupted, a railway official said.

Police had been deployed in strength in various parts of the city and at vital installations to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna told mediapersons in Bangalore that he was open for a dialogue with Jayalalithaa to resolve the inter-state water dispute out of court even as the states anxiously await the outcome of the Supreme Court's next hearing slated for Monday.

'Karnataka has always maintained that the hardships endured by people in both the riparian states should be assessed for arriving at a mutual water sharing formula, especially during periods of distress', Krishna stated.

Referring to the disruption of rail and road traffic in the state for the past four weeks, the chief minister said, "In a democracy, agitation are inevitable. But they should not inconvenience people

Cauvery Water Dispute: The Complete Coverage

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