Exercise restraint: Patil appeals to Mumbaikars

Mumbai, Jul 12: Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today appealed to the Mumbaikars to exercise restraint and face the crisis unitedly and with determination following the seven bomb blasts on Mumbai's suburban Western railway network.

Talking to reporters in the early hours of today after visiting the injured in the city hospitals and the Matunga railway station where one of the seven powerful bombs had exploded last evening.

Mr Patil, along with Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrived here two minutes past midnight to review of the security situation in the city.

Mr Yadav has announced compensation of five lakh Rupees to the families of those who had perished in the blasts and promised to give job in the railways to at least one person from the victim's family.

He also said the train services would be restarted at the earliest.

Before flying back to Delhi, Mr Patil chaired a high-level meeting at the airport discussing measures to tackle the emergency situation. In which, Mr Yadav, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil and other cabinet ministers like Narayan Rane, Harshvardhan Patil, Vasant Purke, Chandrakant Handore, Ashok Chavan, Minister of State Suresh Shetty, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress President Prabha Rau, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Margaret Alva, Chief Secretary Dr D K Shankaran, Director General of Police Dr P S Pasricha, Mumbai police chief A N Roy and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Johnny Joseph, besides other senior officials, were present.

Earlier, at 2200 hrs yesterday, Mr Deshmukh chaired an emergency meeting at Mantralaya and reviewed the security-related issues. He announced compensation of one lakh Rupees to the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.

The Chief Minister said the government was prepared to face any challenge and appealed to the people to maintain calm. ''Please do not spread rumours nor believe in them,'' he said, adding, citizens should co-operate with the state government in maintaining peace.

The Central and Harbour railway services were normal and commuters were urged to make use of them to get back to their homes safely.

In one of the deadliest attacks since 1993, the terrorists struck at the suburban railways, considered to be Mumbai's lifeline, which carry more than six million commuters a day, leaving 172 dead and 561 injured so far.

No one has so far claimed responsibile for the attacks. An alert has been sounded across the state.

UNI

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