Normality returns to violence-hit Bangalore

Normality returns to violence-hit Bangalore

The Hindu

Situation started improving from Thursday night itself

# Autorickshaws plied as usual
# Malls and department stores were open
# Cinemas announced that shows will resume on Saturday

Bangalore: Bruised and partly battered, the city returned to near-normal on Friday. However, the north-western parts of the city that witnessed most of Thursday's violence remained tense with fewer people and vehicles on the roads. Mischievous SMS indicating more trouble kept many anxious till the afternoon.

The situation returned to normal in the southern and eastern parts of the city by Thursday night. With Tamils and Malayalis and people from Dakshina Kannada celebrating their new year, there was festival shopping to be done. Many had to postpone it till Friday morning.

In the lanes and the bazaar around the Someshwara Temple in Ulsoor, where many Tamils live, life was normal. However, vendors of flowers, mango leaves, neem leaves and plantain leaves reported less stocks than usual because of the disruption in transport from outside the city for two days. Some vendors had prudently made arrangements for articles to come from around Varthur to the south-east where there were no disturbances.

The customary karaga procession took place during Thursday night and on Friday though with thinner attendance than usual. The procession went around the "pete" areas of the inner city and all traditions, including paying respects to the Tawwakkal Mastan Dargah at Cottonpet were observed with solemnity.

While city bus services were curtailed during the first half of the day, autorickshaws plied as usual. Many bemoaned the loss of almost two days earnings. It was another thing that autorickshaws at the bus and railway stations charged much more than what the revised meter readings should have been.

Most schools have already closed for summer holidays and administrators of many colleges said classes may be held only from Monday. All schools have been ordered to be closed by the Government. This allayed the anxiety of parents.

Malls and department stores made a cautious opening with less clientele than usual and cinemas remained closed. Some of the theatres declared that the shows would resume on Saturday. Call centre/BPO employees, many of them detained at their places of work since Wednesday and some provided lodging close by, were able to return home. On Thursday, many offices in this sector remained closed due to lack of transportation for their staff. Most major information technology firms resumed normal business activities. It may take them a few days to assess the effects on their business due to delayed projects, some of their executives said.