Karnataka Bandh: Wipro declares holiday as a 'precautionary measure'

As Karnataka braces for total shut down today due to the bandh call given by pro-Kannada groups, IT giant Wipro has declared holiday in its offices across the state. A statement by Wipro said that it was declaring holiday as a 'precautionary measure'.

It was expected that the IT companies would suspend operations as there is always a fear that the groups who have called for bandh may resort to violence."On account of the shutdown called by various organizations, as a precautionary measure, Wipro Limited has declared holiday for employees in Karnataka today. Business Continuity Plans have been invoked to avoid disruption to mission critical project," a Wipro statement said.

Government offices in Bengaluru and across the state may see thin attendance as the bandh is backed by the Karnataka Government Employees Association. Educational institutions have been told to remain closed on Thursday by the deputy commissioner of Bengaluru (Urban) district.State-run transport corporations said their services would not be disrupted as long as the situation was peaceful. Namma Metro said its schedule would remain unchanged. Its PRO U A Vasanth Rao said operations would continue as usual.

Transport services would however function today. Several app based taxi services said on the social media that they would function as normal.However, services in Hubbali and other parts of northern Karnataka are likely to be severely hit as the epicentre of the protests are in those areas.