26/11 5th anniversary: Security up at hot spots,but chinks remain

Five years on The Indian Express visits these spots on and finds some of them are as vulnerable as ever.

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BADHWAR PARK

A CCTV camera overlooking the sea face at Badhwar Park was out of order. It was at this site near the Fishermens Colony in Cuffe Parade where Ajmal Kasab and his nine associates had landed and entered Mumbai.

Damodar Tandel,president of the Akhil Bharatiya Machchimar Kriti Samiti,had later claimed he had repeatedly written to police and the state government before the attacks,alerting them about suspicious boats smuggling in contraband. After the attacks,the police deployed personnel to keep vigil and also installed CCTV cameras and lights at the beach.

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On Monday,when The Indian Express visited the beach,two constables with the Cuffe Parade police station were seen keeping vigil. Strangers approaching the beach were stopped and were allowed to go further only after being questioned on the purpose of the visit.

One of them said at least two constables were deployed at the beach round-the-clock and mobile units patrolled the area at regular intervals. When asked about the camera mounted on a light pole,he said it was out of order. Assistant Commissioner of Police Padmakar Juikar of Colaba division confirmed that this but said the company concerned has been asked to repair it at the earliest.

Hemchandra Bhoir,who lives in the Fishermens Colony,said,We always have our eyes and ears open for any suspicious ships. When a ship strays to this shore and we make it a point to inform the police.

Gautam S Mengle

CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS

Following the 26/11 attack,security here has been beefed up with several new measures in place,but during a visit by The Indian Express on Monday,security personnel at some of the entry points were nowhere to be seen.

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Officials say the ambitious Integrated Security System (ISS),which was conceived after the attacks,is being implemented at several stations,including CST.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF),which safeguards station premises,has installed over 130 CCTV cameras to watch the suburban and main line side of the station. A dog kennel has also been created near the station to ensure that dog squad often required to check unidentified bags is readily available at all times.

Alok Bohra,senior divisional security commissioner,RPF (Central Railway),said,The ISS offers improved surveillance. There are armed personnel at the station to counter any situation involving gunmen.

Improved Door Metal Frame Detectors have also been installed at all entry/exit points at the station to screen passengers.

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Officials say high-tech luggage scanners,which were installed over the last one year,have made scanning of baggage easier,with over four lakh bags having being scanned in the last three months alone.

Prior to such equipment,luggage could not be checked properly as there is a huge volume of passengers at CST at any given point, said an officer.

Officials also say that after 26/11,the rail commuters are also more alert in reporting unidentified bags.

Priyal Dave

THE CAMA AND ALBLESS HOSPITAL

Though the height of boundary wall has been increased and a total of 65 CCTV cameras installed across the five-acre campus of the hospital,it is not very difficult on a busy evening to enter through the main gate and stroll through its premises without being stopped even once.
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An RTI query in July this year revealed that the 367-bed facility had only 17 sanctioned posts for security personnel,of which just 10 were filled.

According to JJ Group of Hospitals acting dean,Dr Ashok Rathore,the hospitals security was scaled up after 26/11 with additional CCTV cameras,installation of new doors at various entrances and training of security guards.

However,five years down the line,there is a visible laxity in security. According to a security official,while there is a system of issuing passes for entry in the hospital,guards seldom ask relatives for passes. Unlike JJ,Cama has no police chowky and patrols are also not conducted regularly, the officer said.

The visiting hours are between 4:30 to 6:30 pm,during which period anyone can enter. Apart from the main entrance,the other three buildings,comprising medical superintendents office,the radiation centre and an under-construction structure,have no guards at the entrance.

Tabassum Barnagarwala

LEOPOLD CAFE AND BAR

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MetrEs away from the Colaba police station,this popular joint sees hundreds of patrons daily. On Monday,private security guards could be seen searching every visitor and their belongings at the entrance. Guards also made sure the area outside the cafe was not crowded.

There is regular patrolling of Colaba Causeway as it is thronged by foreign nationals. It is on our list of the most vulnerable points in the city, says Ravindra Shisve,DCP (zone 1).

In the last five years,the cafe has become a tourist destination of sorts,with people flocking here to see the bullet holes left by the 26/11 gunmen. They still ask us about the attack and we show them the bullet holes, says Farhang Jehangi,co-owner of the cafe.

Megha Sood

OBEROI-TRIDENT,TAJ MAHAL PALACE

Though both hotels have metal detectors at the entrance,they do not frisk visitors. The Indian Express found one could simply walk into both hotels with ease.
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At Oberoi Trident,it is only inside that visitors are subjected to a security check,though without frisking. They are simply asked to place their cellphones in a tray,walk through a door-frame metal detector and to a waiting guard,who makes a sweep with a hand-held metal detector.

As for vehicles,guards randomly ran a reflector around the base of some cars,while letting in some others.

Security around the hotels is a combination of the local police and private security,who are stationed at each entrance.

The Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba also witnesses a lot of vehicular traffic. The ban on parking around the hotels perimeter is still enforced as strictly as it was when it was introduced,with taxis making U-turns near the main entrance of the hotel.
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A police vehicle is parked across the road. The perimeter is manned by private security guards at every few feet.

The Taj,too,does not frisk its visitors. One only has to walk through a DFMD and stand through an HHMD search before being cleared for entry.

Srinath Rao

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