TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: With the State celebrating the annual Ganesh festival, life almost came to a standstill in Canacona Taluka as most business establishments were shut down for the second day on Tuesday.
The worst affected were the travellers who struggled to find a restaurant in the taluka, as almost all restaurants and cafés remained closed on Monday and Tuesday.
It is learnt that all employees in restaurants have proceeded on week-long Ganesh holidays, compelling the restaurant owners and others to keep their establishments closed from Sunday.
While many establishments and shops closed their operations from Sunday, many shops, however, kept their shutters open to enable last-minute purchases on Sunday.
Even the lone petrol station at Gulem in Canacona town was shut down on Tuesday afternoon, reportedly to enable pump attendants to participate in the rituals, before attending the Ganesh idol immersion programmes later in the evening.
As soon as the attendants stopped filling fuel at the petrol pump at about 1 pm on Tuesday, over a dozen inter-state vehicles were stranded for want of fuel. By Tuesday evening, several inter-state and local motorists were caught unawares by the sudden closure of the petrol station. The pump is expected to be open at 6 am on Wednesday,
While many motorists continued their onward journey hoping to get a re-fill from the next fuel station, some inter-state trucks were stationed near the Gulem petrol pump on Tuesday night after having exhausted their fuel.
Except for a few sweet marts and electrical shops operated by Rajasthani and Gujarati traders, pharmacies were also shut down and even public transport did not ply along various routes in the taluka.
