It's been 12 years after the bomb blast but lax security arrangements remain, creating panic among shopkeepers here
Kiran Saluja still remembers the horror when she comes to work to her juice shop in Sarojini Nagar market. Every time she is there, she says she is constantly on the lookout for anyone suspicious. And no wonder. It was at Saluja's juice corner on October 29, 2005, that the bomb blast happened, killing her husband Lal Chand Saluja on the spot.
And though much time has passed since then, shopkeepers, visitors and members of the market association, say that lax security arrangements make them anxious.
"It's been 12 years, but we still do not feel safe. People are entering the market with no checks or frisking. They are carrying bundles and packages of stuff, which none of know about. Most of these men are local vendors or workers at showrooms. They are not verified, neither identified. When at my shop, where the blast took place and killed my husband, I am always alert as I cannot afford to lose more people," Saluja said.
Others agree. Market association members say that the market is like an open playground with everyone entering without being noticed.
Ashok Randhava, president of the mini market traders' association, Sarojini Nagar Market, said the market association ensures its own security as police have failed to make them feel safe.
"Half of the CCTV cameras that have been installed by the police or government, do not work mostly. It is the cameras installed by shopkeepers on which the police also depends. We hire guards and additional cameras at the time of festivals as the rush then increases drastically. The market stands vulnerable to any possible threat," he said.
On October 29, 2005, three bomb blasts shook Delhi killing 62 people and left over 200 injured. The attack, believed to have been carried out by terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba, came on Dhanteras evening, just two days ahead of Diwali.
Kriti Bhatia, an animation student, who is a regular visitor to the market, says that she does not feel insecure, but adds that the market lacks security features. Bhatia said that a market with such a high footfall basics such as CCTV cameras, frisking at the entrance and police deployment should at least be there. "If nothing else, these things will act as a deterrent," she said.
Market association members say that they have asked the authorities several times for security but to no avail. "We have written to the NDMC several times asking them to erect a wall around the market. This would make it an enclosed space and entry-exit points can then be fixed, like in Khan market. We can then deploy private guards also. Currently, all the associations are using all their resources to ensure the safety of visitors and shopkeepers," said Ashok Kumar Kalra, general secretary, Sarojini Nagar Market Association.
SAROJINI NAGAR
- Known for – Apparels, decorative household items, accessories
- Footfall – over 50,000
- Location – Next to Africa Avenue Embassy Area, six kilometres from Pancharipuri
- Past horror – Bomb blast in October 2005
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