Though shops were shut for most part of the day due to the bandh, the neighbourhood came back to life post dusk.
At San Thome High Road, hotels and small grocery shops reopened, hoping to do a little business before the night fell.
Though buses and other state government run transport services operated as usual, most autos and private taxi services stayed off the road. Shoba, a resident of Mandavelipakam says, “I had a hard time reporting for work in the morning. I couldn’t find an auto for a long time, and when I did, I had to pay double for a ride to Alwarpet. In the evening, however, the rates were back to normal”.
