The President pays homage at Mahim station where the first blast occured.
Traffic ground to a halt in all roads of Mumbai.
NDTV Correspondent
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 (Mumbai):
As a mark of respect for the victims of the Mumbai blasts, President APJ Abdul Kalam led the country in observing a two-minute silence from the Mahim Railway Station.
At 6:24 pm (IST), 270 sirens installed across Mumbai by the Civil Defence Corps went off as an alert for the two-minute silence.
Various services and establishments across the city halted operations as a mark of respect for the victims of the tragedy.
All trains on the Western Railway line also halted for two minutes - all the seven blasts had occurred on the Western Railway Line.
All trains going up to Mulund and Mankhurd stations on the Central and Harbour Lines also stopped for two minutes.
BEST buses and 55,000 cab drivers across the city also halted all operations.
Also, all theatres, single screen and multiplexes stopped screening shows for these two minutes.
Airport staff, union workers and airline employees, BMC employees, dabbawalas and colleges and schools holding evening classes observed silence as a mark of respect for the victims.
Nationwide support
In the wake of the blasts, there was an outpouring of grief and support for the embattled Mumbaikars.
Consequently, the gesture of respect was not only limited to the citizens of Mumbai as cities across the country also joined in to pledge their solidarity.
Citizens across Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Guwahati observed a two-minute silence along with Mumbai.
Source:ndtv.com