Scourge clouds City's recovery

Scourge clouds City's recovery
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Shattered by Friday's eight serial blasts, Bangalore made a slow but steady recovery towards regaining normalcy on Saturday.

But the much fiercer and deadlier Ahmedabad blasts almost put the brakes on Bangaloreans’ march to peace later in the evening. Television images of death and destruction in the Gujarat city had the Bangalorean relive the Black Friday’s fear and anxiety.

In the morning, Bangalore was definitely on the recovery path. However, there was a blip in the City’s efforts to return to normal: the detection of a live bomb near The Forum mall, Koramangala before noon. With frenzied onlookers and fully attired bomb disposal squad members in action, the entire area plunged into tension: till the bomb was defused, that is.

As the day wore on, the Central Business Districts picked up life. Crowds were back in malls as well as on M G Road, Brigade Road and Avenue Road.

It was apparent that Bangaloreans wanted to send a message that they had defeated the nefarious designs of terror merchants.

But once the news of the Ahmedabad blasts started pouring in, crowds began dwindling. People apparently preferred going back home and watching television updates. Kempegowda Bus Station too witnessed a drop in footfalls as the KSRTC saw close to 500 cancellations in advance reservations, due to the fear factor.

But for the policemen, it was yet another tireless day as they stood vigil to ensure that no life was put in peril. A tourist, Visheshana from UP, said: “We Indians are not safe anywhere. The places known as paradises are turning into hell. Look at Kashmir, it is bleeding. Bangalore never had such an image but here too the radical forces have spread their tentacles.”