'Gateway blast powerful one:' ex-Taj manager

R K Krishnakumar, former managing director of the Taj Group of hotels, who was in Bombay House when a bomb exploded in a cab near the Gateway of India, said the blast occurred just 50 meters outside the hotel.

"The blast was a powerful one. I heard a very loud noise. Some of the hotel's windowpanes were smashed," Krishnakumar told rediff.com from the headquarters of the Tata Group, which owns the Taj Group of hotels.

Krishnakumar, now Vice-Chairman, Tata Tea, said no one staying or working in the Taj was injured in the blast.

The hotel has beefed up its security in the wake of the blast, he said. "Our security measures have always been very strict. We never allow any unidentified cars into the hotel. This particular security policy will be strictly adhered to," he said.

Krishnakumar felt the blast would not affect bookings at the Taj or the inflow of tourists into Mumbai. "I don't see any bookings being cancelled because of the explosion. People recover from such incidents quickly," he said. "We Indians have to ensure we are not cowed down by terrorist threats like bomb blasts."