As violence erupted suddenly on Monday, it was not just Tamil establishments and businesses that were at the receiving end here. Other businesses across the city also came to a halt post-noon, as visuals of burning vehicles emerged.
Fearing damage to property and concerned over safety of employees, most businesses allowed their staff to leave or made arrangements to ferry them home. In some instances, offices, shops and other business establishments were forcibly shut down by pro-Kannada activists. By 4 p.m., trade in the city came to a virtual standstill.
The fear of sporadic violence impacted the IT sector with many companies asking their employees to leave the office premises. Some of them even asked their employees who were using Tamil Nadu registered vehicles to leave them on office campuses.
Women cautionedPanic spread among IT employees working in other parts of the city also. Many companies working in Manyata technology park near Hebbal, Outer Ring Road, asked their employees to leave early. Apart from this, companies issued advisories to women employees not to travel alone.
The sudden shutdown, coming within three days after the Karnataka bandh on Friday, has led to production losses of about Rs. 900 crore in the city, estimated a source in the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Poor attendanceThe labour intensive garment industry employing over 3 lakh workers, according to sources, was affected with less than 50 per cent attendance post violence.
“Employees who are provided transport worked, but others were sent home. The absence of employees disrupted production,” said K.R. Jayaram of Garment and Textile Workers Union.
The sudden surge in violence also took hoteliers by surprise. In Bengaluru South, three outlets of A2B, a chain of hotels, were vandalised.
