Uneasy calm prevails in Mangalore

Mangalore, Oct 7 (UNI) An uneasy calm prevailed in the strife-torn areas of Ullal, Thokkottu and Mangalore city today, without report of any violent incidents in all the three areas where shoot-at-sight orders have been issued.

The communal clashes in the coastal district left one person dead and about 70 people injured. Besides, a number of vehicles and shops have been damaged in widespread stone pelting incidents.

Both public and private vehicles remained off the roads in the city following curfew and shoot-at-sight orders issued by the district administration till tomorrow evening.

General activities in the city and its outskirts were totally crippled for the last three days. All shops and business establishements have downed shutters. People were seen stranded in bus stands and railway station without any access to reach their destination. With the imposition of curfew, general public were the worst affected as they could not even venture out of their houses to buy essential goods and groceries.

The local economy was badly affected due to the bandh and the communal flare up in the district. The fishing sector and vegetable vendors felt the heat the most, with over 20 to 30 tonnes of vegetables left to rot in the central market since the breakout of violence. The fishermen were left in deep despair, with no takers for their catch averaging six to seven tonnes daily.

Meanwhile, a top official of the Airports Authority of India at Bajpe told UNI that police have assured the Authority to allow air passengers if they possessed proper records. He admitted that though air services were not affected by the violence, the number of passengers had been drastically reduced during the last three days.

The international flight from Dubai was scheduled to land at the airport this evening, he said, hoping that the passengers would not have any difficulty in reaching their destinations.

UNI MA GD RL KN2030