Techies told to keep off Mumbai

Hyderabad: “Avoid Mumbai” was the blanket instruction issued to software professionals on Thursday morning with mails reaching their mail boxes before they logged on to their terminals.

IT firms sent out mails asking their employees to stay away from public places, adhere to security instructions within the campus and, most importantly, avoid travelling to Mumbai.

Dell reportedly banned its employees from travelling to India, both Indian and multinational IT firms too sent out advisory against Mumbai travel. While Satyam issued a travel advisory asking its associates not to travel to Mumbai and asking those in Mumbai to leave the city, Oracle employees received a mail from the US headquarters asking them to avoid travelling to Mumbai. They were asked to stay tuned to television news channels for latest updates.

An updated travel advisory reached Microsoft employees on late Wednesday night itself wherein employees were given do’s and dont’s in case they were travelling to Mumbai.

While Infosys did not issue any advisory, it touched base with its employees, who could be travelling, to inquire if they were safe and had changed their travel plans. As of now there are no cancellations of conferences and conventions scheduled in the city. “Inquiries are being made about security. But there are no cancellations of any event,’’ said a HICC official, adding security had been beefed up.

Meanwhile, foreign nationals working for various firms in the city said they weren’t perturbed by the Mumbai terror attacks. “I don’t feel scared because it wasn’t only foreigners but even Indians who were killed in this tragic incident,’’ says Patrick Dempsey, a US national working here for the last three years. He says he is all set to attend a conference on Friday in a five-star hotel.