Parmesh S Jain
The five-day padayatra demanding immediate implementation of the contentious Mekedatu project culminated here Thursday night with a massive rally and a meeting at the National College Grounds.
The Congress had launched the 165-km ‘Namma Neeru Namma Hakku’ (our water, our right) padayatra on January 9, and it was originally scheduled to end on January 19. However, the party was forced to halt it temporarily amid rising Covid cases in the state and a rap from the high court.
The last day of Congress padayatra demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project started from Mekri circle and ended at national college grounds on Thursday.
Thousands of party workers marched on padayatra leading to traffic disruptions across city .
The traffic police blamed people adamant for not taking diversion which led to chaos .
Though elaborate security arrangements and traffic diversion were made,many motorists caught off guard at major junctions and vent their ire for the jam.
However the international airport road was not affected and the traffic movement was as usual , a senior police officer said .
The procession started from mekhri circle in the morning,passed through,Sadashivanagar,cauvery theatre junction,Malleshwaram, Khoday’s junction, Cottonpet main road,Chamarajpet to reach National college grounds.
Few motorists who were caught in the traffic blamed the protestors asking them to go and protest in front of CM’s residence instead of harassing people.
There are many office goers and students attending school have been asked to take diversion, which irked them.
Heavy police deployment in and around the national college grounds with over 900 police men headed by DCP south and nine ACPs,16 inspectors and 55 PSIs,68 ASIs,195 Head Constables and 469 constables deputed for the security duty.
Meanwhile,The Karnataka high court on Thursday pulled up the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the Congress padayatra for Mekedatu project, directing that there be no permissions given for protests,meetings or processions that adversely impact traffic flow in Bengaluru,except at the Freedom Park.
Since there are several issues with regard to holding of processions the rules and whether the processions/protests etc.
Can be held in accordance with the law, having regard to the fact that the processions/protests, etc,have serious repercussions on the city as well as cascading effect on the day to day activity in the entire city, including traffic, etc.
Pending decision in this petition,we deem it appropriate to direct the state government that no protests/processions/meetings held in the entire city of Bengaluru by any group, political or non-political,except at the Freedom Park,Gandhinagar,in an organised manner and ensuring traffic in the city does not get adversely affected, especially during rush hours,” the court said in the order.
The bench said the directions would be in force during the pendency of the PIL petition,initiated by the court in 2021.
The court’s orders came on the last day of the padayatra, which culminated in Bengaluru on Thursday, a day before Karnataka chief minister Basvaraj Bommai presents his maiden budget.
The Congress party’s padayatra has been traversing the breadth of Bengaluru as it tries to drive home the point that the struggle for Mekedatu is to ensure drinking water supply for the city’s over 12 million residents.
On February 28, the Karnataka police booked at least 37 persons, including Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, among other senior leaders for violating Covid-19 norms. The Ramanagar district administration had filed the complaint.
