Bharat Bandh hits normal life in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Sep 10: The day-long nationwide shutdown or Bharat bandh on Monday against rising fuel prices called by the Congress affected normal life in Karnataka as public transport kept off the roads across the state.
"There is an overwhelming response from the public to our shutdown call as petrol and diesel price hike affects all, especially the poor," a Congress spokesman told IANS here.
Schools and colleges were closed although state and central government offices remained open.
In Bengaluru, global software firms like Infosys and Wipro functioned normally.
With the ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) supporting its ally Congress on the bandh, their cadres as well as activists of the pro-Kannada organisations like Kannada Vedica Paksha (KVP) were seen forcing restaurants, shops and fuel stations to remain shut at least till 3 p.m.
Many theatres, multiplexes and malls did not open for business. Bank transactions were hit.
"We have not opened for business for the day to avoid damage to our property caused by frenzied mobs," a tea vendor told IANS here.
The shutdown, however, did not affect flight or train services in Bengaluru and Mysuru though passengers faced harrowing time at the airport and railway stations in the absence of buses, cabs and autos.
About 1,000 cadres and supporters of the JD-S and Congress staged a massive demonstration at the Town Hall here and took out a protest rally to the Freedom Park through main roads, which had less vehicular traffic on a working day due to the shutdown.
Emergency services, including hospitals and medical shops, were exempted from the bandh.
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Poll preparations for multiple Bengaluru Corporations within 4 months: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Mysuru, May 16 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said with the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act having come into effect, preparations will be made for polls to multiple municipal corporations to be created to manage the city within four months.
Shivakumar, who is also in charge of Bengaluru Development, said a process will be initiated soon regarding the reservation list and the creation of multiple municipal corporations.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act allows for the creation of up to seven municipal corporations to manage the city, and there are indications that the government may decide to form three corporations.
The city has not had an elected municipal council since September 2020.
“We will initiate the process regarding the reservation list and division (of the city into multiple corporations) soon. We have to hold elections; there is no point in delaying them. We will make the necessary arrangements within four months,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he will call an all-party meeting soon to seek suggestions on how to proceed with the division into multiple corporations.
“Taking everyone into confidence, we will move ahead, but it has been decided to hold elections as early as possible. We have to do it; there is no point in delaying. There was a plan to add new areas (to Greater Bengaluru), but that process would cause a delay, so we can add them later. Therefore, the notification has been issued with the area currently under the BBMP,” he added.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, came into effect on May 15, and the new Greater Bengaluru Area will be limited to the area now covered by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), according to the notification.
However, all functionaries will continue to have the same powers and duties as conferred under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Act, 2020, until the new law is fully implemented.
Until multiple corporations are created, the BBMP will continue to operate under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which is expected to be constituted soon, official sources said.
The Act provides 120 days to establish the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which was recently passed by both houses of the state legislature despite opposition from the BJP, proposes restructuring the BBMP by splitting it into a maximum of seven city corporations within the Greater Bengaluru Area.
It also provides for the constitution of a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for coordination and supervision and sets 30-month terms for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
The GBA will be headed by the Chief Minister as the ex-officio chairperson, while the minister in charge of Bengaluru development will be the ex-officio vice-chairperson.
