Impact of terror attack on daily life in Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 27 (IANS) The following has been, in a nutshell, the impact on daily life in India's commercial and entertainment capital Thursday, following the terrorist attacks:

Markets: All bourses including those for commodities, equities, currency and bonds, were closed, as were the offices of the Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India. Analysts expect volatility when trading resumes.

Railways: Train services, which were stopped for some six hours after the first attack late Wednesday, resumed operations with the Mumbai-Patna Express leaving the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus at 4 a.m.

Airlines: All carriers, both domestic and international, also resumed operations, even as there were several cancellations by passengers, particularly by people bound for Mumbai.

Tourism: Tour operators said business was slow due to the global meltdown and added that the attack will impact tourist inflows to the city, both from within and outside the country. They said the tourism trade would take a huge hit as the season had just begun.

Public transport: Most suburban trains and local buses were also running smoothly, but were practically empty beyond the Bandra-Dadar area in the city's south.

Meetings: Conferences and meetings organised by the corporate sector and trade bodies like the Indian Merchants Chamber and the All India Association of Industries were all cancelled.

Offices: Nearly 70 percent of the offices chose to remain shut, even as attendance was thin in the city's suburbs like Andheri, Malad and Bandra-Kurla Complex.

Schools: All educational institutions were closed, with parents choosing to keep their wards at home following a public holiday declared by the state government.

Shops: Most shops were shut, especially in downtown areas, while roadside vendors even in peripheral areas hauled their carts away on advice from police.

Theatres: Managements of cinema halls were asked to suspend screening of movies by state governments, was ordered suspended by the state government, while the Bollywood film industry cancelled all shootings.