Prevention of terror
CAMIL PARKHE
Sakaal Times Thursday, February 18, 2010 AT 03:11 PM (IST)
Tags: Pune blast, blast, terror attack, point of view
http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100218/5048311537236628314.htm
Some weeks back, there was tension at Shivajinagar state transport bus depot after a bomb-like object was suspected to be there. A colleague from the newspaper office rushed there to cover the news as the rest of us anxiously tracked him on mobile to know what was happening. Has terror arrived in Pune? That was the question bothering us. A few hours later, we were relieved to know that it was a bomb hoax call. “We have been lucky again, thank god!” was our spontaneous reaction. But how long will it be before terror strikes this city, was the question I, and perhaps others, did not wish to utter aloud.
On Saturday, February 13, Puneites' worst fears came true. The bomb blast that killed 11 persons, most of them youngsters, left the city people too shocked to realise that Pune had joined the league of the country's terror-hit cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Probably, it was wishful thinking that Pune offered a safe haven for terrorists to plan their nefarious activities and that they would not like to make things hotter for them by executing terror plans in the same city. On February 13, Pune lost its distinction as a peaceful paradise.
Post-February 13, it is futile to wonder whether the security agencies had failed in preventing such an attack despite getting several 'alerts.' Now citizens and the government administration will have to think of measures that will help in preventing such attacks in future. It would be fatalistic to feel that terror is now a worldwide phenomenon and we have to face it as and when it strikes. There are many nations which have been on the radar of terrorists of various kinds and they have often succeeded in thwarting terror machinations.
Only a few months back, Pune had got the dubious distinction of having the highest number of swine flu cases in the country. Many people from other cities had then deferred their visits to Pune. Even today, swine flu has not disappeared. Last week, the disease claimed as many as five lives in a single day. But that did not make a front page news. Swine flu has a curable treatment and we are also looking forward to the development of a vaccine to prevent it. That cannot be said about terror. After February 13, we will have to constantly remain on guard against terror attacks. We cannot afford to be lax a week or a fortnight after the bomb blast and go about with our routine as before. There are several ways to thwart terror threats and every citizen can contribute in this regard by just being alert and cautious about things around us.
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