Mumbai drift

Weak and woolly-headed governance continues to take a toll in Maharashtra

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance,because if we dont keep our eyes open,the Hydras surviving heads will reappear,long after the monster is believed to have been slain. Mumbais streets were once an open battleground for gang wars in daylight. Police action in the 1990s systematically decimated the gangs,and the dons of the nether world moved base to foreign shores. Yet,despite its formidable stature as Indias original global city,Mumbai,sadly,remained casually and callously governed. Of late,there were signs of the gangs returning to the streets,with shootings such as the Pakmodia Street incident in which the driver of

Dawood Ibrahims brother,Iqbal Kaskar,was killed. The manner and circumstances of the murder of veteran journalist Jyotirmoy Dey on Saturday appeared to negate every doubt. It appears to be a very professional killing; the rain and the well-guarded neighbourhood only showed the determination of his killers and their indifference to the danger to themselves.

The police say they suspect the oil mafia,especially since Deys recent reports dealt extensively with oil smuggling and pilferage. Deys murder is a reminder of the toll being taken by lax,woolly-headed and weak governance. Prithviraj Chavans arrival in Mumbai as chief minister had generated a lot of hope; a hope since belied by the visible drift in the administration and law and order. Now,Chavan has a gigantic,old job at hand if he does intend to begin afresh. It begins with arresting this drift,and its the sort of job that never really ends. The underworld that has re-emerged is paradigmatically different from the old one. These are largely splinter groups,which dont depend on established networks with safe havens and masterminds abroad. Constantly morphing,they wield sophisticated weapons,pursue new interests in a globalised economy such as Mumbais real estate boom and dont adhere to the old mafia code of not crossing certain boundaries.

The police force itself has unlearnt its earlier alertness when information and action would be smooth and well-coordinated. While a civilian-ruled democracy should be happy to see the end of the police encounter,the information network built by the Mumbai polices erstwhile encounter specialists is in tatters. Deys murder is not just an attack on the freedom of the press; its a signal to the

Maharashtra government to buckle down and get busy with law and order. Otherwise,Mumbais streets may become increasingly dangerous once again,with thugs who dont fear for their own lives.