The traders in the city were caught unawares by the bandh which continued on Wednesday also. The Mandya bandh on September 6 was total with all shops, business establishments and hotels extending support for the Cauvery issue by downing their shutters.
With the government releasing water to Tamil Nadu, several organisations have intensified protests in support of the farmers. But, this has caused anxiety among the traders of the district, who are affected due to a series of bandhs observed in the recent past for various reasons.
Speaking to DH, a hotel owner on RP Road in the city, said, he had closed the hotel voluntarily on Tuesday. “As the organisations had not called for any bandh on Wednesday, I opened the hotel and made arrangements for cooking food and also prepared breakfast. Business was normal till 10 am, but I was forced to close down by the protesters later. The food that was prepared went waste, causing loss,” he said.
A majority of businessmen in the city faced similar situation. Kamalesh, another trader, said, “The business was affected during recent protest called by KSRTC workers and it was a Bharat Bandh that lasted for three days. And now, Mandya bandh has continued for two days. We extend our support to the farmers, but the agitators should take into consideration the lives of small-time vendors and traders. Let them protest in such a way that the government responds positively, but spare the traders and labourers.”
The series of bandhs and protests has affected the tourism industry badly. The district, which is popular for its KRS dam, Srirangapatna, Ranganathittu, Cauvery Sangama, Melkote and other places attracts thousands of tourists every day. Now, with the Mysuru-Bengaluru highway being blocked, there are no tourists and the loss is estimated to be approximately Rs 30 lakh,” said Deepak of KSRTC, Mandya division. Trading at the jaggery market has been stopped since two days. The tender coconut market in Maddur too was affected.
Published 07 September 2016, 18:42 IST