Do you think anything has been learnt from the attacks? Where can we go from here?
I think nothing will come out. R R Patil had to quit (as Maharashtra home minister). I personally feel he was not a bad person. He abolished dance bars where police officers used to earn maximum money. The cops weren't really happy with him because he was stern on corruption.
But hasn't security improved in Mumbai after the attacks?
A client came to me recently, he is in the ship repair business. Many ships get anchored 10 kms to 15 kms from the Mumbai port. You have to enter the Bombay Port Trust, and board a launch to send skilled and semi-skilled manpower for repairing ships.
To enter the BPT, you require a gate pass. He (Mr Singh's client) says, earlier, to make a gate pass he had to pay a bribe of Rs 20 per head. Otherwise, they (the staff issuing the gate passes) would ask so many questions that it would take 4 to 5 hours to make a gate pass.
After the terrorist attacks, the amount has gone up to Rs 100 per gate pass.
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A diver with two assistants is given Rs 25,000 a day, the client says. If he wastes four hours in getting a gate pass, he will lose money on the diver and skilled labourers.
I told him, 'Why don't you complain?' He said, 'I have to go there every day. They will harass my men and question them unnecessarily.' This is the impact!
We (the security establishment) were caught unawares, unprepared (on November 26).
Intelligence warnings were coming, but it all went in the heap of files.
Image: Policemen outside the Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, November 28. Photograph: Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images
Also read: 'The terrorists have the advantage of first strike'
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