Never say die, Mumbai back on its feet

Mumbai, July 12 (UNI) Even as the death toll in yesterday's tragic blasts in suburban trains increased to 183 and 714 people were injured, the metropolis swung back to normal with people going to their work and students attending schools and colleges.

Defying the shock and terror which gripped the country's commercial capital last evening after seven powerful bomb blasts ripped apart first class compartments of suburban trains on the Western line here, most people did not shy away from taking the local trains to their destination.

Putting the immediate scars of the attack back on their mind, people were seen going to work as on any other normal day, while shopkeepers all over the city opened their shutters to be back to business.

Another sign that Mumbai would not budge to the anti-social and acts of brutality were the stock markets at Dalal street, which scaled up by 149 points to 10,764 in afternoon trading.

Services on almost all suburban routes of Western line have resumed, while the trains on Central and Harbour lines were also running as per schedule.

Railway sources said train services on the affected lines were being gradually restored with repair works under way.

Also, Mumbai police has released a list of names of those injured on its website www.mumbaipolice.org.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said it is too early to say whether the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai are a result of intelligence failure.

''It is too early to discuss this. Give us some time. The anti-terrorist squad (ATS) is probing the blasts and no one will be spared,'' Mr Deshmukh said after an all-party meeting convened by him at Vidhan Bhavan here this morning.

Mr Deshmukh, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, BJP leader Gopinath Munde and Nitin Gadkari, leader of opposition in the Assembly Ramdas Kadam, said four resolutions were passed at the meeting-condemning the dastardly act of terror, paying tributes to the victims of the terror attacks, resolving to fight terror together by brining the accused to book and saluting the spirit of Mumbai for its resilience and determination to emerge victorious against all odds.

When asked about reports that hospitals were unbale to cope with the flow of the injured, Mr Deshmukh said, ''If required, people would be shifted to private hospitals and the Government will bear the expenses.'' Yesterday, the Chief Minister had declared an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to the kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the blasts.

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