memories
Terrorism on the rise
This year has not gone well for the average Maharashtrian. Seven blasts at important railway stations on the Mumbai local train service, made the people remember the '93 blasts. The police are yet to find a proper perpetrator of these blasts and are just providing hazy assumptions based on even hazier Identikit photos of possible terrorists.

A few days back terror returned in the form of the Malegaon blasts. Today afternoon another explosive device was recovered from a bsy shopping-complex in Malegaon.

A couple of days back the Chennai police recovered a cache of rockets being sent to Andhra Pradesh supposedly to be used by the Naxals. Further investigation revealed that these were manufactured in the Ambattur Industrial Estate in suburban Chennai. A high ranking AP police official has issued a statement saying that he was aware of this rocket manufacturing unit for the past three years. I wonder if he was swatting flies and mosquitoes all this while.

The point is that stringent surprise raids and checks should be undertaken in all industrial units big or small across India. We have close to 40 million engineering units both small and big that manufacture things ranging from nuts and bolts to helicopters.

Many unscrupulous factory-owners are using their manufacturing and explosive licence to herald terror. It is high time that the government opens its eyes to the evil that is spreading like wildfire.

Another disturbing factor is that more and more educated youth from affluent families are turning to a life of crime and terror. Specially susceptible are the youth staying in small and mid-size towns.

This is not an isolated case. A well-planned and financially supportive mastermind is building a network for something really big and destructive. Recent statements by the Lashkar-e-Toiba add fuel to fire.

You and me as responsible citizens should do our bit. If you see any suspicious person or object immediately notify the police. While travelling by public-transport ensure that there is no unclaimed baggage or package, and do not pick up anything from the street or on the beach.

There is only one way to fight terrorism to be alert and careful.

Jai Hind.