Brand Bengaluru hit by back-to-back bandhs, say experts

He said they will support the bandh on September 29. "Cauvery is a sensitive and emotional issue for us, so we will participate in the bandh. But now those who are calling the bandh are unilaterally making decisions without even consulting others. Instead of a Bengaluru bandh, everyone should have participated in the Karnataka bandh on September 29 and made it a success."

The bandh also impacted several restaurants in the city, with many closed as a precautionary measure, and those that did stay open saw fewer walk-ins.

Is 'Brand Bengaluru' at risk?

Prior to the bandh call, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has been campaigning for 'Brand Bengaluru', told reporters, "What will you (protestors) gain by observing a 'bandh'? Inflicting any kind of damage to 'Brand Bengaluru' will be like damaging your own heart." Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "Protest is allowed in a democratic system. We are not going to suppress it."

U Sathyanarayana, honorary secretary of the Peenya Industries Association (PIA), told Moneycontrol, "We are aware of the importance of Cauvery and water and have also extended support to farmers; hence, we supported the Bengaluru bandh on September 26. Now, some other organisations are calling for another bandh on September 29. This affects our morale and is a cause for serious concern."

He said there are many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Peenya, and the impact of one shutdown is significant. "Bandhs have serious implications. For a small unit, there is a minimum loss of Rs 50,000-60,000 per day in terms of wages alone. In addition to this, there is a loss of business. Dasara is approaching, and supply orders and exports of garments and other products are pending. Many have participated in government projects, so the tender has a clause for fines if we delay the work," he said.

Many industrial representatives also raised concerns. Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) President BV Gopal Reddy told Moneycontrol, "According to our calculations, the 12-hour bandh in Bengaluru on September 26 resulted in a loss of Rs 200-Rs 250 crore. Any shutdown will impact industries in terms of financial loss and productivity loss. We have not received any intimation about the Karnataka strike on September 29, but it will result in a financial loss of Rs 500-600 crore to the state. The bandh will only harm the people of Karnataka, even though we extended our support to the cause."

Industry concerns

Some suggested exempting Bengaluru from the bandh on September 29. IT industry veteran TV Mohandas Pai told Moneycontrol, "Since Bengaluru already had a bandh, which was supported by the people, on September 26, they should exempt the city from the September 29 bandh. Instead, politicians should stage a hunger strike that day. Frequent strikes affect daily wage earners, vegetable vendors, and cab drivers. The back-to-back bandhs will make Bengaluru less attractive and reduce investments and jobs. Bengaluru should get high-quality jobs, which only investments can bring."

RK Misra, a senior member of ASSOCHAM (Karnataka chapter), agrees. "Bandh will not influence the Supreme Court or Cauvery Tribunal. We have sympathy for the cause and farmers, but politicians and others are busy building their own brands and are not bothered by Bengaluru. A one-day strike will impact drivers, and the many manufacturing units exporting to foreign countries cannot cite a bandh as an excuse for delays."

Manas Das, president of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), said, "The back-to-back bandhs are detrimental to business. As far as ORRCA is concerned, we have not issued any instructions to the respective companies on the bandh; it is up to the individual companies to make a decision. Even though some companies have resorted to work-from-home arrangements, some critical work needs attention, and employees need to be physically present at the office,. So such things will be affected."

Dissent is an essential part of democracy, said Sandeep Anirudhan, co-founder of the Coalition for Water Security, an NGO.

"But when the institutional framework is missing, it bursts into the streets. We should have a protest ground opposite every legislature building/parliament building. That will remind our public servants every day of whom they serve. They have a tendency to forget. But now protests are pushed to a corner, so they often go unnoticed by elected representatives." said Anirudhan. He said the state government has a water policy, but it is gathering dust. "We are not preserving our wetlands or ecosystem and are not interested in water conservation efforts."

According to Karnataka's Economic Survey, the state is home to over 5,500+ IT/ITES companies and roughly 750 multinational corporations (MNCs), contributing to over $58 billion in exports. This, the survey said, gives direct employment to over 12 lakh professionals and creates over 31 lakh indirect jobs. "The industry contributes over 25 percent of the state’s GDP. The share of software exports is nearly 40 percent of the country’s exports of $155 billion," the Economic Survey said.

Also read: Cauvery dispute: Bengaluru bandh draws partial response; public transport largely unaffected

On September 21, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Cauvery Water Management Authority's order to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government cited rain deficit in the state as the reason for its inability to release Cauvery water.

Karnataka cabinet on September 22 decided to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu as required until September 26 while simultaneously starting the process to go ahead with its Mekedatu project which is opposed by the neighbouring state.