We need more security: Jewellers
A year into the triple blasts that rocked Mumbai, overcrowding still remains a problem at the sites of the explosions, with jewellers and diamond merchants saying that additional security measures need to be taken to prevent a repeat.
At Zaveri Bazaar, which was one of the targets of the 13/7 blasts, vehicles are still parked haphazardly, making them potential areas where bombs can be planted.
In order to prevent unruly parking of vehicles, the police has barricaded many lanes. However, this in turn has affected the business of the jewellers in the area. “We have beefed up the security on our part by increasing the number of CCTV cameras from 28 to 42, but we also need additional manual patrolling. Since 17 lanes have been barricaded, jewellery store owners are the ones suffering, as the number of customers have gone down because of lack of parking facilities,” said Kumar Jain, vice-president of the Mumbai Jewellers’ Association.
According to jewellers at Zaveri Bazaar, workers and goldsmiths started fearing for their lives, and have shifted to other locations in the city.
Eleven people died in the blasts at Opera House, which houses 4,000 diamond merchants, who conduct business from Panchratna and other buildings in the area. These merchants have installed 139 cameras to keep a watch on the area. “Two police vehicles are stationed round-the-clock, but we require more police presence,” said Naresh Mehta, secretary of Panchratna Coope-rative Housing Society.
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