As border curbs have been relaxed, free flow of trade has resumed with Tamil Nadu, said Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara, as he spoke to BusinessLine on the measures taken to bring the Cauvery issue-related situation back normalcy.
What is the current ground situation in Karnataka in the wake of the Cauvery water issue?
At the moment uncertainty has been removed. Trade is limping back to normalcy. This had come to a near standstill for nearly two weeks. Now, after normalcy is restored, trade and movement of goods are slowly coming back, vehicles have started to move both ways. It is normal…not 100 per cent, but maybe 70-80 per cent along the border. I myself saw Tami Nadu registered vehicles entering Bengaluru on major highways connecting Hosur. It is good, but some permanent solution is needed.
The effect of the water dispute is that there is rising animosity between the two States. Secondly, it affects the federal structure of our country, and third, business and trade get affected.
Looking at the strategic location of Bengaluru, has the government put in place a specific plan to protect its trade and commerce?
Bengaluru’s location is such that it is a major link to the North and West, especially New Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune-Mumbai. The majority of Tamil Nadu vehicles pass through our city. Two major highways (NH 7 and 4) pass through the city. In addition to that, Bengaluru depends on Tamil Nadu for a lot of things on a daily basis, such as vegetables, flowers and milk. Being an industrial hub, Bengaluru also depends on ports located in Tamil Nadu — Chennai and Tuticorin. We also access Kochi through Tamil Nadu. In fact, aviation fuel has to come from Chennai on a daily basis. In order to protect trade, we are working on a specific plan. It is still at a preliminary stage.
Has the State government assessed the damage?
The estimated loss due to protests, violence and bandhs, according to Assocham, is around ₹40,000 crore. So it is bad; but now it is restored, slowly the trade is coming back, vehicles have started moving both ways.
Bengaluru city largely depends on unskilled workers from Tamil Nadu’s border districts. Has the government taken steps to ensure their safe return?
About four years ago, we saw a similar exodus of North-East students’ community. Similarly we are seeing an exodus of unskilled workers now. We have got many complaints from builders that they have been put to hardship due delay in labour from Tamil Nadu returning to work.
We also are hearing that construction workers are coming from Bihar and Odisha as well.
What steps has the government taken to normalise the situation?
We have actually given protection to all Tamil Nadu registered vehicles. During the crisis, in fact, the police saw to it that all these vehicles were given protective cover during night, especially for buses and trucks coming from northern India — Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and New Delhi. But that is not a solution; it is only a temporary arrangement. Now it is all safe, hope it will continue.
Do you think the State government handled the crisis well?
Yes, we have handled it well. Timely State government intervention minimised the damages. It is unfortunate that this kind of inter-State dispute has occurred in our federal structure.
But the Cauvery water dispute is not today’s dispute — it has been around for about 125 years. Everybody feels this could have been resolved. But unfortunately it is lingering for generations.
The delay in solving the Cauvery crisis is hurting ‘Brand Bengaluru’. Has the government thought of any permanent solution?
Yes, for a few days Brand Bengaluru got affected. But we were able to bring it under control in a short time and now we are working on a plan for a permanent solution.
The two States have had a historical trade relationship dating back to centuries.
Some estimates say more than 20 per cent of the people in Bengaluru are Tamil speaking. They may be living here for three or four generations, or even 10 generations. It is our duty to protect everbody living here.
Any lessons learnt from the recent disturbance?
Yes, we have learnt to be more cautious. We need to be more alert in a situation like this and we have to sense the situation and plan well in advance to handle it. This time around we immediately got some Central forces, and we deployed out own KSRP.
All police stations were alerted, especially in areas where there is a Tamil population. You may be surprised to know not a single Tamilian was put to difficulty. In 1991 more than 20 people died, but nothing of the sort this time.
One or two persons died this time, but that was due to police firing accidentally.