Mr Mike Connor, British Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, on Friday said that all visa applications to visit or work in the United Kingdom were being treated purely on merit, notwithstanding the recent Indian-linked terror plot in London.

After the nervousness that had gripped Indians in the wake of the failed terror plot, the relief was evident at a luncheon hosted by Mr Connor here. The general message, though unspoken, was loud and clear - it is business as usual and, in fact, more than usual.

Mr Connor, who hosted the lunch as a farewell to incumbent Head of the British Trade Office and First Secretary UK Trade & Investment, Mr Andrew Dinsley and his wife Larissa, and welcome his successor, Mr Richard Hyde and his wife Jacqueline, said he did not wish to comment on the terror plot, which the judiciary and police would investigate.

On his part, he wished to reassure that all was normal. “We do intend to go more modern and make biometric identification data mandatory. But that is happening the worldover, perhaps even in India, and is aimed at making the process more objective rather than being subjective," he said adding, "At the moment, I am more interested in knowing if the Janata Dal (S) will handover power to the BJP in Karnataka. I am going to watch that keenly." 

Endorsing Mr Connor's assurance of normalcy were his colleagues from the Trade Office, who said, "they were actually loaded with work."

Mr Richard Hyde, from Liverpool, where British police picked up Sabeel Ahmed, brother of Kafeel who crashed into the Glascow airport in a suicide bombing bid, is equally non-chalant about the terror attempt."It is only after coming here that I got to know more about it," he responded to a question.

Mr Hyde, set to takeover as the Trade Office Head from August 1, has  an Indian connection. His father was from Goa although he himself was born in Dhaka and the family migrated to Canada later. "But I still have my relatives in Goa and some in Mumbai, and I am going to explore that," he said.