Bengaluru: The sun was unusually harsh on Monday morning as a stream of people walked down the 1km stretch between barricades setup at the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. The Cauvery issue was once again taking a toll on the common folk, with the public forced to disembark from their vehicles and walk over the border. Private vehicles were not allowed to cross over, leaving people with no option but to walk the last mile to the other side.
Police had barricaded both sides as the Cauvery Supervisory Committee meeting got under way. Public transport between the two states had been suspended, fearing vandalism. On the Tamil Nadu side, all vehicles with TN registration were stopped and asked to return. The scene was no different on the Karnataka side.
With hundreds of people walking past the barricaded border and armed policemen at Hosur, the scene appeared straight from a refugee situation. Small merchants, software engineers, patients and students, all walked over no man's land, holding on to their laptops, bags of vegetables and goods, while some even cradled newborns brought straight out of hospital.
"They say we live in India, but look at the border between the two states, it looks like the border between India and Pakistan. The only thing left is for them to check our passports," said a trader who runs Tyre Company in Dharmapuri.
He had his reasons to be upset.He had walked with his son, who was just a month old, and his wife, a Bengalurean who had undergone a C-section recently . He had to leave his car at the border, as Tamil Nadu police didn't allow it to pass. His wife and ailing mother trailed him as he walked ahead.Finally , unable to get any transport, he sat in front of an auto, holding the newborn - a dangerous stunt, he admitted, but also that he had run out of options.
Minutes earlier, a car had just crossed the Tamil Nadu barricade, after the driver had a long talk with the cops. After moving a few metres, the driver stopped the car, took two numbers plates from under the seat and started fixing them. He had apparently been advised not have a Karnataka number plate while driving in Tamil Nadu.
Shashidhar Bhat, a resident of Belagavi, had a tough time on Monday . "I came to Bengaluru in the morning and was planning to drive to Hosur. My car was stopped by cops near the toll gate. I had to walk to the other side and my client picked me up on a motorcycle," he said.
The lack of public transport affected many , especially a merchant who brought flowers and others material to Bengaluru.Ponmozhi, 52, had a heavy sack on her head and two in her hands.Generally, she boards a bus to City Market, but on Monday, it was a long walk to the city for any kind of transport.
A group of students, living in Karnataka, but schooling in Hosur, were furious with the chief ministers of the two states, as they walked over 2km to their school in the scorching heat.School bus services were suspended, fearing violence.
Police officers said some protesters had reached the border in the morning, but were taken into custody. They hoped the travel restrictions would be lifted soon.
Police had barricaded both sides as the Cauvery Supervisory Committee meeting got under way. Public transport between the two states had been suspended, fearing vandalism. On the Tamil Nadu side, all vehicles with TN registration were stopped and asked to return. The scene was no different on the Karnataka side.
With hundreds of people walking past the barricaded border and armed policemen at Hosur, the scene appeared straight from a refugee situation. Small merchants, software engineers, patients and students, all walked over no man's land, holding on to their laptops, bags of vegetables and goods, while some even cradled newborns brought straight out of hospital.
"They say we live in India, but look at the border between the two states, it looks like the border between India and Pakistan. The only thing left is for them to check our passports," said a trader who runs Tyre Company in Dharmapuri.
He had his reasons to be upset.He had walked with his son, who was just a month old, and his wife, a Bengalurean who had undergone a C-section recently . He had to leave his car at the border, as Tamil Nadu police didn't allow it to pass. His wife and ailing mother trailed him as he walked ahead.Finally , unable to get any transport, he sat in front of an auto, holding the newborn - a dangerous stunt, he admitted, but also that he had run out of options.
Minutes earlier, a car had just crossed the Tamil Nadu barricade, after the driver had a long talk with the cops. After moving a few metres, the driver stopped the car, took two numbers plates from under the seat and started fixing them. He had apparently been advised not have a Karnataka number plate while driving in Tamil Nadu.
Shashidhar Bhat, a resident of Belagavi, had a tough time on Monday . "I came to Bengaluru in the morning and was planning to drive to Hosur. My car was stopped by cops near the toll gate. I had to walk to the other side and my client picked me up on a motorcycle," he said.
The lack of public transport affected many , especially a merchant who brought flowers and others material to Bengaluru.Ponmozhi, 52, had a heavy sack on her head and two in her hands.Generally, she boards a bus to City Market, but on Monday, it was a long walk to the city for any kind of transport.
A group of students, living in Karnataka, but schooling in Hosur, were furious with the chief ministers of the two states, as they walked over 2km to their school in the scorching heat.School bus services were suspended, fearing violence.
Police officers said some protesters had reached the border in the morning, but were taken into custody. They hoped the travel restrictions would be lifted soon.