While Raj Thackeray and his loyal party men were busy making a point, the service sector in South Mumbai was being dealt a heavy blow. MNS&rsquo;s protest march from Girgaum Chowpatty to Azad Maidan forced many establishments to down shutters, while those that remained open suffered losses owing to low footfalls. <img alt="Popular eatery at Girgaum Chowpatty, massive MNS rally" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2012/aug/MNS-workers-1.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 341px; " /> Sorry, we&rsquo;re closed: (Inset) A popular eatery at Girgaum Chowpatty kept its shutters down, anticipating trouble during the massive MNS rally. PIc/Pradeep Dhivar The tourism industry also took a beating as few ventured out for sightseeing in SoBo, which is home to many of the city&rsquo;s tourist attractions. &ldquo;Since morning, there was only a trickle of tourists who wanted to take ferry rides to Alibaug or adjacent areas. By afternoon, there were almost no takers. We are tired of this. Every time a VVIP comes or a morcha takes place in South Mumbai, our business is affected directly or indirectly. We have made just about 20 per cent of our usual earnings,&rdquo; said Suhas Padte, a ferry owner at Gateway Of India (GOI). Another ferry owner at GOI said, &ldquo;They could have simply gathered at Azad Maidan. They can&rsquo;t disturb life in the city like this. We are not against him but we request the government to deny permission for such rallies that bring the city to a halt.&rdquo; The food and beverage industry also suffered owing to slow business, as the city stayed indoors. &ldquo;Business was very dull today. We hardly received any patrons, thanks to the morcha,&rdquo; said Vasant Shetty, a restaurant owner from Colaba. A delivery boy working for a celebrated diner at Fort said, &ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t able to make our deliveries on time. Around afternoon, we stopped taking orders for home delivery, as we knew we wouldn&rsquo;t be able to make them. Business was very poor.&rdquo; Another hotelier echoed Shetty&rsquo;s sentiments. &ldquo;I had asked my staff on afternoon shift not to come. Very few were called, as I feared we would have to shut our establishment if the rally turned violent as it did the last time. I preferred to maintain a low profile and shut the eatery for an hour.&rdquo;u00a0

Since visitors as well as locals played it safe by steering clear of restaurants, tourist spots in SoBo, the service sector suffered heavy losses

Business takes a beating as wary Mumbai stays indoors

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Business takes a beating as wary Mumbai stays indoors

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