Take home finance, give us chief minister's post: NCP

Barely 48 hours after serial bomb blasts rocked Mumbai, Congress and the NCP are at loggerheads over portfolio allocations.

To a comment from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan that it was a mistake not to keep the home, finance and planning portfolios with the CM, the NCP top leadership asked for a swap: Home and finance for the CM’s post!

Chavan later retracted his statement and said that he had been quoted out of context.

“We are ready to swap, provided the Congress is willing to part with the chief minister’s post inclusive of ministry of urban development and housing. In the bargain we are willing to hand over home, finance and planning,” the NCP said. Earlier, Chavan told TV channels, “I think it was a mistake. We should have re-looked at it. I don’t know of any other coalition government where the portfolios of home, finance and planning are not with the chief minister.”

He qualified this with: “This was a division agreed to by us in 1999 when Congress-NCP first came to power in the state. That pattern was based on the model adopted by the Shiv Sena-BJP government during 1995-99.”

The NCP said it was a veiled attack against its cabinet ministers and also a comment on their “underperformance”. Congress political managers swung into damage control, stating that Chavan was just putting facts into perspective, not implying any changes in the portfolio share nor commenting on the home minister’s performance.

“First of all I would like to assert that the chief minister is the head of the government. Every decision related to any portfolio put forth in the cabinet requires his consent. Secondly, he has powers to take any decision related to any department,” state NCP president Madhukar Picchad said. “The division of portfolio was mutually taken by high commands of the Congress and the NCP in 1999. By questioning the decision is the chief minister trying to suggest the top leaders made a mistake?”

A senior state cabinet minister (NCP) said, “Padmasinh Patil held the home portfolio when Sharad Pawar was the chief minister of state.”

During the Shiv Sena and BJP government (1995-199), chief minister was Manohar Joshi who retained urban development and Gopinath Munde was home minister. Later, Narayan Rane was the chief minister and Munde retained the home portfolio. The minister further said, “Chavan who has worked in centre should understand that home ministry is held by PC Chidambaram and not prime minister Manmohan Singh.”

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) sought to put an end to the controversy stating that this was not the time to fight over portfolios.

After the 2009 state assembly elections the then chief minister Ashok Chavan had suggested that ministry of home should be handed to Congress. He said the CM should be incharge of home affairs.

Top NCP central leaders dismissed the suggestion. They indicated that if Congress insisted on home they would not entertain any discussions on government formation.

CCTVs reveal vital info about Mumbai serial blasts: Maha C.M.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday said that the security cameras installed around the blast sites in Mumbai have given very crucial information and they are being examined and analysed.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister has also said that the state Home Minister RR Patil informed the Cabinet on the investigations in Wednesday's blast.

The Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday held a special meeting to discuss the fallout of Wednesday's bomb blasts. The state Cabinet discussed about the medical facilities of the injured. Security post 26/11 was also discussed.

Terror struck Mumbai once again on Wednesday when three bomb blasts rocked some of the most crowded places of the city killing at least 17 people and injuring 131 others.

The first blast took place at 6:54 PM at south Mumbai's crowded Zaveri Bazaar. Within a few minutes Opera House and Dadar, too, were hit by powerful explosions.

Wednesday's blasts took place just two days after the fifth anniversary of the Mumbai serial train blasts on July 11, 2006 in which at least 186 people were killed. The blasts also evoked horrific memories of serial
blasts in the past as both Dadar and Zaveri Bazar have been targeted earlier too.

Mumbai serial blasts were coordinated terror attack: P Chidambaram

Union home minister P Chidambaram said on Thursday that Wednesday's Mumbai blasts were coordinated terror attack and that all groups that are capable of carrying out such blasts are suspects.

The home minister said that the government did not have any intelligence inputs about Wednesday's blast with central and state agencies.

Ammonium nitrate with timer devices were used in the IEDs in Mumbai, Chidambaram said. It was not a remotely triggered blast and the Dadar blast was a low intensity one, he added.

He put the death toll at 18 and said that the number of injured stand at 131 including 23 who are seriously in Wednesday's blasts.

Maharashtra chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for families of blast victims.

Anger on the streets of Mumbai after serial blasts

Witnesses recal the horror of the triple blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday evening at Dadar, Zaveri Bazar and Opera House. The three most crowded business districts in the city were targeted at peak office leaving times between 6:50 pm and 7:05 pm, leaving scores dead and injured.

An eye witness Hemant said, "the sight was something so bad that unfortunately no one who saw it live will forget it."

Scenes at the hospitals were heart rending as anxious relatives flocked to various hospitals searching for their loved ones.

"I cried so much at first, but then I realised I should be handling the situation instead of crying," said a relative.

The blasts came exactly 5 years and 2 days after the 7/11 train blasts. With Mumbai being targeted time and time again, anger on the streets was clearly on the rise.

"Every second we are afraid something will happen," said a Mumbaikar.
Another Mumbaikar said, "When Indians come together and show these terror outfits are strength, then they will that India is India."

Though the emergency response system seemed to have improved this time, Mumbaikars are asking when the system will be equipped enough to prevent such terror attacks.

Leaders condemn Mumbai serial blasts

Leaders from all political parties have condemned the serial blasts that rocked congested areas of Mumbai Wednesday evening, killing at least 20 people and injuring over 100.

The blasts took place in three areas of south Mumbai - near Kabutarkhana in Dadar West, Zaveri Bazar and Opera House, the jewellery hubs of Mumbai - around 7 p.m.

Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan condemned the near-simultaneous explosions causing loss of life and injuries to innocent citizens.

Sankaranarayanan, who was in Delhi, rushed back to Mumbai on hearing the news.

In a statement issued here, he said: "The news of terrorists striking in the commercial capital of India in the rush hour of the evening today is shocking and shows the desperate levels the terrorists have
stooped."

"I convey my sympathies to the families of the victims of the blasts and wish speedy recovery to the injured," he added.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party assured of thorough investigation into the blasts and appealed to Mumbaikars to not pay heed to rumours and stay alert.

"Help will be extended to all victims in all possible manner. However, it is still early to tell the hand behind the blasts," he said.

Opposition leader Eknath Khadse of the Bharatiya Janata party condemned the attacks. "I sympathise with the relatives of those killed and injured," he said.

State president of Samajwadi Pary Abu Azmi said: "Police should be strict in investigating the bomb blasts that have killed many and injured more than 100 people," he said.

Azmi appealed to people not to make a communal issue out of the blasts and help each other and police in bringing the guilty to books.

"The blasts should not be associated with any specific religion or community. The police should also not catch hold of those who are not guilty for the crime," Azmi said.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said: "It is unfortunate and disgusting. I strongly condemn the blasts."
Former minister of state Gurudas Kamat also condemned the attacks and said that the guilty should be brought to book as soon as possible.

Mumbaikars ignores blood, bombs; rushes in to help and heal

Panic and shock gripped the food bazaars of South Mumbai and the busy weekday market of Dadar as a series of explosions rocked the crowded locations on Wednesday evening. At Zaveri Bazar as well as Opera House, it was the peak-hour rush at the two khau gallis that became the target. Dadar Market, on any day, is a sitting duck.

From the scenes of crime to the halls of healing , ordinary citizens sidestepped glass shards and pools of blood to cart corpses, injured persons and severed body parts to hospital. Volunteers diverted traffic and gave right of way to ambulances and fire engines even as civic workers helped the police gather evidence and remove debris.

The street lights went out in the alleys of Zaveri Bazar and the rain dampened rescue efforts. Sho cked shop owners pointed to the remains of the scooter upon which the explosive had been placed.“We saw an umbrella wrapped in wires on the scooter.

The vehicle did not bear a number plate and did not belong to any of the local residents,”said eye-witness Vinod Divecha.

Added another volunteer, Snehal Shah, “This area is abuzz with traders and workers who park their scooters as they stop by for food.”

All hands on deck as Mumbai goes into emergency mode Snehal Shah, a volunteer, lamented the inaction on the part of the authorities despite repeated complaints about illegal parking in the Zaveri Bazar area.

Although the jamming of mobile phone networks for two hours added to the panic, Mumbai rose to the occasion magnificently, going into emergency mode with all hands on deck. Taxi drivers allowed bystanders to pile in the dead and the injured and ferried them to hospital free of charge. Medical institutes threw open all their operating theatres and casualty wards and recalled the entire staff, including those who were off duty.

A melee erupted outside the barred gates of Harkisondas Hospital as distraught relatives and doctors tried to fight their way through crowds of anxious blood donors and onlookers. Inside, the white tiles of the casualty ward were marked with bloodied footprints. The victims’ identities slowly began to filter through. Twenty-one-year-old Pankaj Soni, who worked with his father in the family’s jewellery store at Lamington Road, was in Zaveri Bazar for some work.

On lookers say he had gone to khau galli to eat when he was trapped in the blast. His relative , Ramesh Soni, said that Pankaj was declared dead at GT Hospital.

Suparna Adhikari was waiting at KEM Hospital, Parel, for news of her father Dhananjay Adhikari. She said, “He left our home in Parel for Opera House at 3.30pm to meet a friend.” When she heard about the blast, she kept trying his phone but he didn’t answer. Her brother then found out through friends that their father was admitted to KEM.

Dharavi resident Sanjay Jadhav had been running from one hospital to another, looking for his 55-yearold mother Bhima.

The woman, a fruit vendor, usually sat at the site where Wednesday’s blast occurred. “I went to the site but she wasn’t there. I have come to KEM and her name is not in the list,” Jadhav said.

There were others who survived by a stroke of fate. Rajan Mandalik was close to the blast site at Zaveri Bazar. He had walked a few metres away from the spot to attend a phone call seconds before the blast. His friend Kishan Mandal (32), however , was not as lucky. Mandal was missing till late at night, by which time his friends had checked out four hospitals. “His name is not there on either the  deceased or missing persons lists,” said Mandalik. “He was sitting on a bike and was dangerously close to the blast spot. We are keeping our fingers crossed.”

List Of Victims. GT Hospital
Sunil Raut, Shivraj Patil, Ravi Bora, Raju Yadav
Saifee
Sandeep Champaklal Shah, Ali Azgar Batatawala, Tushar, Ramesh Chandra, One unknown, Sanjay Mehta, Mohd Darodia
St Georges Hospital
Lalchand Ahuja
Harkisandas Hospital
Sunil Kumar Jain, Bhupat Nabadia, Mohan Nair, 2 unknown
Bombay Hospital
Himmatbhai Kalubhai Gudiya