Coimbatore: Businesses in Kottaimedu reel under shockwaves of car blast

COIMBATORE: Shockwaves from the car explosion in front of Sangameswarar Temple at Kottaimedu continue to reverberate across small businesses in the locality.
Buyers from neighbouring Kerala have stopped visiting the famous automobile spare parts shops. Foodies are shunning eateries that serve arguably the best biryani in Coimbatore.

His business is seeing a 25% dip in revenues after the incident on October 23, said J Mohammed Muthu, proprietor of HMR Hotel. "Businesses in the area had suffered heavy losses after the 1998 bomb blast. Once again, our customers, including IT professionals and college students, have stopped visiting the hotel."
Heavy security arrangements in the aftermath of the blast are discouraging customers, Mohammed said. "The Coimbatore city police have deployed personnel at all the entry and exit points of Kottaimedu. They conduct intensive checking. Because of this, regular customers from Kerala have also stopped visiting Kottaimedu. We buy banana leaves from a Christian and rice from a Hindu. The situation has also affected them," he told TOI.
More than 600 families in the locality depend on the restaurant business, said Ashik of Hajiyaar Biriyani Hotel. "We hope things will return to normal soon and people will visit us again."
The tense atmosphere has also affected the used vehicle accessories market at nearby Lorry Pettai.
Thousands of people used to visit the market on weekends, said Thoqfeeq, a shopkeeper. "But their numbers have drastically come down in the last one week."
Mohammed Ashif, another shopkeeper, blamed the media for creating panic.
"Local customers and those from Kerala are discouraged by alarming news reports," he said.