2 blasts in 10 yrs, Zaveri Bazaar is worried: what if again
Midnight, Zaveri Bazaar. A wooden box holding a hawker’s wares, covered with a plastic sheet for the night. Unguarded. An easy target for anyone who wants to emulate Mohammed Shoaib Ghansar, found guilty of parking an RDX-laden scooter in the same area on March 12, 1993. Seventeen people died, 57 were injured.
Thirteen years later, gold merchant Jitendra Jhaveri is worried that it could happen again. Then nobody had noticed Ghansar, even though it was afternoon. But in the night, when the lanes are deserted…
‘‘We would like to draw your attention to the fact that just opposite our shop there is a hawker, who keeps his boxes covered and unattended all night. A person with bad intentions can plant anything at this spot and remain unnoticed,’’ Jhaveri said in a letter to the Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station on July 17, six days after 7/11’s serial blasts.
Jhaveri’s shop, now rebuilt, was the third one from the spot where Ghansar had parked the scooter. Along with the letter to the police, he’s attached a photograph of what the lane looks like in the night.
Early in the morning, Newsline found dozens of such boxes, unattended and dotting the lanes in the area, which is high up on the police’s list of Mumbai’s terror sensitive spots. In 2003, another blast rocked the wholsesale gold market. Over 20 people died.
Senior Police Inspector of LT Marg Police station B Janjale denied having received Jhaveri’s letter, but said: ‘‘This is a larger issue where policies for rehabilitation of hawkers have to be formulated. Besides, our priorities are different. We are for detecting and preventing crime. We do take action (against the hawkers).’’
Two police rounds and a few threats later, the hawkers are back, said Jhaveri. ‘‘What will they do if someone just takes advantage of this situation. What will be their answer?’’
Madhusudan Daga (80), a gold analyst who visits Zaveri Bazaar, said: ‘‘Where do they (hawkers) go? There needs to be planned infrastructure to shift the hawkers and ensure that the lanes are sanitised.’’
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-II, P Dighawkar, said: ‘‘We are aware of the issue. We had conducted drives along with the BMC to clear hawkers from the area. We had stopped it for a while due to Ganesh Chaturthi. We do not have the labour force to do it. I had written many letters to the BMC for infrastructural help. But we should start again. Give us eight days.’’
In less than eight days, the auspicious period for buying gold begins, the lanes will be crowded. Next door is Mumbadevi temple, and next week it’s Navrathri.
So, Jhaveri is worried.
URL- http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=201680