‘Perpetrators will be punished’

Speaking in the Assembly on Monday on a condolence motion for those who died in the blasts at Opera House,Zaveri Bazaar and Dadar Kabutarkhana on July 13,Chavan said the government was taking stringent measures to ensure that such attacks did not recur.

He said the government will track down the guilty and bring them to book,adding that the blasts were aimed at spreading unrest in the commercial capital of the country. The CM,however,added that Mumbaikars had faced the attacks with courage and foiled these plans,also commending the locals for helping the victims.

In the Legislative Council,Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar moved a condolence motion in memory of the victims and set aside the first day’s proceedings. While remembering the 24 dead and over 100 injured,Pawar said: “We have an attitude of not harming anyone,but some people are misinterpreting it as our weakness. Therefore,we need to take strong steps to teach such persons a lesson. Anti-social elements hamper the ability to provide security to citizens and terrorists take benefit. We need to think how often we can let them take benefit. We need to take concrete steps to ensure that such persons will not dare to harm us again.”

The promise of strong action came as Dadar blast injured Mankeshwar Vishwakarma died in KEM hospital on Monday morning. Vishwakarma (30) was a carpenter and had gone to buy plywood when he was injured in the blast at Kabutarkhana. He is survived by his wife Rinku (26) and his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Shoni.

According to sources at the hospital,Vishwakarma had sustained severe skull injuries and was on ventilator for the past few days. “The doctors had told me that his condition was very bad,but I didn’t tell Rinku,” said Vidya Rane,a neighbour.

“On Thursday,Rinku and I had gone to meet him in the ICU. With much struggle he managed to hold our hands. He held his wife’s hand for a long time and a tear ran down his eyes.”

Neighbours remembered Vishwakarma as a non-interfering and hardworking person. “He stayed with his family in a small BMC chawl in Sion Koliwada. He travelled to Dadar,Dahisar,Mumbai central or wherever his work took him. On the day of the blasts,he had gone to Dadar to buy plywood for an assignment he had received after two months,” said a neighbour.

His father,Ram Vishwakarma,had not spoken to his son since the day he was admitted to the hospital. “I came to Mumbai from my village in UP the day after the blasts. I haven’t spoken to him since. I don’t even know if he could recognise me,” he said.

While Rinku was inconsolable after her husband’s death,little Shoni seems strangely quiet.

Of the 129 people injured,22 are undergoing treatment and five of them are critical at JJ Hospital. Another five patients are critical in Harkisondas Hospital. The two critical patients at the Bombay Hospital are now stable,said hospital sources.

‘CCTVs to be bought using Contingency Fund’

Home Minister R R Patil said on Monday the procurement of 5,000 CCTV cameras for Mumbai city would be financed through an advance from the Contingency Fund of the state government.

He said the Cabinet had taken a decision to permit the Home Department to obtain advance to procure CCTV cameras and expedite the process which was stuck at the stage of inviting Expression of Interest. The minister said the government was keen on enhancing the security measures and procedural norms had been relaxed for acquiring equipment and gadgets. He was reacting to supplementary demands to the tune of Rs 3,355 crore presented by the government in the Assembly on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of the Assembly on Monday.

He said though CCTVs were not included in the supplementary demands,it would not cause any delay in procurement.