Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 27: Post lockdown, all the activities are returning to normalcy. The speed of recovery got a fillip after the educational field opened up completely.

All the activities linked with the students like hotels, restaurants, shops and showrooms, buses, auto rickshaws etc are abuzz with activity now. All the classes right from pre KG to postgraduate and professional degree courses are being conducted now in normal course. As the students keep visiting the shops to meet their needs, they too are witnessing a good progress in the quantum of business.

Mangaluru city (file photo)

With the opening of physical classes, sales of uniforms have skyrocketed. This has worked to provide impetus to the tailoring profession. Outlets dealing in books, shoes, bags etc also have witnessed good progress. Shops, hotels, fancy, stationery shops etc located near the schools and colleges which were devoid of customers are now witnessing brisk business. Hotels and restaurants in particular have been announcing various offers to attract the students. Ice cream parlours, juice shops, chat stalls and cake shops too have witnessed a smart recovery.

The city witnessed signs of returning to normalcy during the Dasara festival. A large number of tourists visited the district from inside the state and other places as there was a holiday. Most of the hotels and lodges were full, and shopping malls, textile stores, jewellery stores, electronics shops, markets etc saw return of customers in large numbers. Currently, an increase in business is felt during the weekend as tourists keep coming then, says the manager of a lodge on K S Rao Road.

After the lockdown, many businesses had lost their entire business and several closed down. After that, many slowly recovered to 25 percent of their previous business. With the movement of auto rickshaws and buses, their business recovered to the level of 50 percent. With the opening of schools and colleges the business has touched 80 percent. The entrepreneurs hope that the business will continue like this without any impediments like lockdowns in which case they say they may have to close down their businesses and look for alternative avenues to earn a livelihood.