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1 . Janapath Road, 2. Rajmahal flyover, 3.Unit -1 market road & 4 Ashok nagar
PHOTO:Y.Madhusudhan
Bhubaneswar, March 26: A majority of the government offices, especially those dealing with the public, as well as the normally busy markets of the city wore a deserted look Thursday as people preferred to stay indoors to watch the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final clash between Australia and India in Sydney.
Offices such as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), the heads of departments building (at Nautala), the civil supplies department, the public health engineering organisation (PHEO) remained deserted almost throughout the day.
The BMC office, which is usually flooded with people queuing up to deposit holding and trade taxes, was less crowded compared Thursday. Visitors often do not find a chair to sit because of the number of people waiting to get their work done. However, that was not the case Thursday. The number of visitors at the birth and death certificate office of the BMC at Unit III near Keshari Talkies was also very low.
The situation was much the same at the sessions court and the court of the additional district magistrate (ADM).
Even the markets at Unit I, Unit II, Sahid Nagar, Bapuji Nagar and Sishu Bhawan, which are usually teeming with people, wore a deserted look as people stayed glued to the television sets through a large part of the day.
“It is not a surprise that the presence of visitors is much less at BMC compared to other days as the excitement over the semi final match has kept many people indoors,” a BMC holding tax collector said.
With few people venturing out for work, the city streets also wore a deserted look.
“The semi final match was crucial and could not be missed This prompted me to remain indoors,” said a Sahid Nagar resident, Bikash Parida.
