Traders put heads together to avert terror strikes

Wary of the security provided by the state,shopkeeper associations at the blast-hit Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar have decided to tackle the issue themselves.

Wary of the security provided by the state,shopkeeper associations at the blast-hit Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar have decided to tackle the issue themselves. Once bitten, twice shy. But here we have been attacked three times. If the state were to be relied upon,the area would be swept off soon, said Dinesh Rathod,the inventory director of Zaveri Bazaar Shopkeepers Association. For the past two days,the association has been meeting and brainstorming ways to avert such attacks in future.

Many commercial bodies in the area came together to estimate the loss. Though the deaths have been than those in the earlier two attacks,the property loss is massive. Also,many people have been rendered handicap in this attack. We will prepare a list of the relatives of all the injured and dead and work a way out to help them. A resolution would be passed to this effect, said another member of the association.

Meanwhile,a condolence and security meeting was held by the traders at Opera House on Saturday afternoon. We will speak to the families of the injured and dead and understand what are the immediate needs. we are also going to provide them with financial assistance. The other aspect is of security. We have decided to strengthen security around access points to each building. Security of public spaces is the responsibility of police and the state. We are also planning to hold a separate meeting to discuss illegal hawking and illegal parking of two wheelers in the area, said Dr Arvind Shah of Opera House Diamonds Merchants Association.

As many as 35 CCTV cameras have been installed at Third Agiary Lane,Zaveri Bazaar where a bomb exploded on Wednesday. However,shopkeepers in the area claim that quality of the images is low and hence of very less use. Installation of better quality CCTV cameras is another aspect that has been discussed, said Rathod.

Wednesdays attack is the third such blast in the same area of Zaveri Bazar. In 1993 blast also,the bomb placed in a scooter. Vehicles are parked here on the street. Its tough to find whom these scooters belong too. Also,there are many hawkers on the street,adding to our woes, said Narendra Patel,an association member.

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