The 26/11 terror attack was undoubtedly a slap on our faces. Besides throwing light on our weak and confused authority, it also proved how vulnerable Mumbai is inspite of the fact that the country had faced four terror attacks in this year alone. All fingers are been pointed on the ministers and politicians. Everyone is demanding for a change. Some suggest that Mumbaikars should stop paying taxes. I wonder how on earth is that going to be an effective solution!
We are all pointing fingers on the administration and government and are blaming them for the attacks. But is this correct? Aren’t we, the citizens of Mumbai, also responsible for this mayhem? All Mumbaikars using railway stations like CST, Churchgate, Dadar etc must have noticed for sure that security at these places were not upto the mark. But did any of us bother to do something about it? We were too busy with our daily lifestyle and didn’t feel any need to contact the respective official and ask him about the lapse in security.
Mumbai Mirror and other newspapers in the city had published an article 2-3 months back that the bullet-proof jackets used by the cops are obsolete and that new, modern equipment is the need of the hour. Most of the Mumbaikars read this report, discussed about it with their family and colleagues and then forgot about it immediately. But not a single citizen or citizen groups made a hue and cry about this issue. If this problem had got enough publicity then, it’s possible that the cops would have had better weapons and effective bullet-proof jackets during 26/11.
If politicians and ministers have failed to perform their duties, then we have failed in being vigilant and active citizens (and it includes me too).
We have to learn from our mistakes and 26/11 incident has provided us with great lessons. Based on it, here are some suggestions that I have come up with:
The rescue operation started late because National Security Guards (NSG) was stationed in Delhi and it took a lot of time for NSGs to board a flight, reach Mumbai and then reach Taj and Oberoi from the airport. Therefore, NSG should be stationed in at least five places in the country-Mumbai (West), Bangalore (South), Kolkata (East), Delhi (North) and Indore/Bhopal (Center). It would be great if each of the 28 state has a NSG quarters but setting up 28 such centers would take 28 years in a county like India so it’s better to have 5 centers for the time being!
Many cops and constables who had to fight the 2 terrorists at CST on 26/11 had not fired a single round since years. An eyewitness saw a cop asking his colleague as to how to fire from his gun and reload! In order to avoid such embarrassing situations in future, policemen should be given firing practices every month.
New-age weapons and good-quality bullet-proof jackets should be provided in bulk immediately. Excuses of lack of fund should not be tolerated. And if any minister dare says that new bullet proof jackets are not needed, the existing ones are nice; then my only advice to him is-please wear one of those defective bullet proof vest and order a commando to fire at you and you’ll get to know instantly its effectiveness!
Patrolling coastal areas should be made more stringent. Fishermen should be provided with I-Cards and there should be a centralized database of fishermen, trawlers etc. Excuse of shortage of men would not be accepted. India’s population is more than 100 crores. How can shortage of workers occur in such a country?
USA should be held as a role model. After the 9/11 attacks, USA didn’t waste a single moment and got to investigating within hours of the attacks. The FBI wonderfully carried out the investigations and gave an excellent response to the attacks. The result: Not a single terrorist attack has occurred post-9/11.
And lastly, we, the citizens, should be more vigilant. It was great to see people coming out on the streets on Dec 3 and but this spirit shouldn’t be temporary. It’s important to be demanding and active like we are now so that our netas and ministers perform their duties properly.
And I would like to end with Ram Gopal Verma’s controversy. He is heavily criticized for going on a ‘terror tour’ to Taj. But why is he being blamed? If given an opportunity, which Indian would not have gone inside the Taj to see its destruction with his own eyes? And there’s no concrete evidence that proves that RGV is making a film on the events. Don’t just criticize each and everyone in such times.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE CHANGE, BE THE CHANGE!
!!JAI HIND!!