‘26/7 attack was a wake-up call’

It has been nearly a year since Ahmedabad witnessed the serial bomb blasts that took more than 50 lives last July 26. But the system is still not ready for any such attack in the future. India currently has the technology and is investing heavily in this regard, but that is not enough.

“Technology and enough money alone cannot prevent attacks on innocent people in the country. Over the last year, we have seen a series of attacks in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Mumbai. These are a wake-up call for India,” Dinesh K Pillai, head, delivery, Mahindra Special Services Group, during a visit to Ahmedabad on Wednesday. He was the key speaker at a conference on corporate security, organised by CII.

After these attacks, not only central and state governments, but also the common people have woken up. “Everyone has realised that the frequency of attacks was higher and the impact was huge,” he said.

“What do they want?” asked Pillai, answering: “Economic destruction and cultural divide. So far they have not succeeded in the case of cultural divide. But if it happens, it will be bigger than what happened in these attacks.”

However, the response is still reactive, he said. “Everyone has bought and installed gadgets, cameras, metal detectors, surveillance products and more to keep a watch on every moment. Still, we are highly vulnerable to attack,” Pillai said.

In order to prevent and tackle such attacks, he said, “We have technology and need to upgrade it. The most crucial and important are trained security personnel to handle the technology, gadgets and the whole process, which is where we lag behind. In addition to this, we need highly skilled personnel to look after the entire system and process of security,” Pillai said.

These steps will help prevent attacks in India. “But no one can prepare a 100 per cent safe system. So, we have to be cautious,” he said.