Mumbai diamond traders call for a bandh

MUMBAI: Without any formal decision or notice, every diamond trader and businessman in Panchratna building and in the vicinity shut shop on Thursday morning. The close-knit community of merchants and brokers that operate out of the busy Opera House district in south Mumbai was left shattered after Wednesday's high-intensity blast that killed ten people and left more than 70 injured. They refused to conduct business on Thursday, and have called for a bandh today to honour the memory of the victims: Most of the injured and at least five of the dead were from the industry. The two-day bandh in the diamond market will cost the industry around Rs 250 crore, but members of the Mumbai Diamond Merchants' Association said they were willing to pay the price. In more ways than one, the 48-hour shutdown is the only they way they can express their anger and disillusionment with the intelligence agencies that failed to protect them. Bharat S Shah, president ofthe Mumbai Diamond Merchants' Association, said: “The members will meet onFriday to discuss our next steps. We want better security and we want to helpall those who have suffered in the blasts.” Many businessmen said they were willing to use their own money to set up a security system—with personnel, control rooms, etc—independent of the Mumbai police and other government agencies. Diamond merchant Sanjay Shah said: “Wehave lost faith in the police intelligence machinery and want to pool our ownresources to set up a private security task force. We will hire our own guardsand have surveillance systems to keep a check on suspicious people in the area.We are 500 to 700 businessmen, and each of us can pool in Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000per month for our own security. We cannot rely on the police anymore,” hesaid.The bitterness is evident among traders who say that governmentauthorities refused to pay heed to their repeated requests for a police presencein the area. “What that did not happen, the association converted one ofits offices into a police chowky. But most days there were no men postedthere,” said a broker. It was finally rented out to a vada-pav vendor.“Had there been a police presence on this lane, the blast could have beenaverted,” said Shah, adding that the police turn a blind eye to the rowsof illegally parked of cars and two-wheelers in the area. “The police doprecious little to remove the vehicles,” said another angry businessman.According to traders the informal manner in which high-valuebusiness is carried out—on the roads, under trees, next to chai stalls,etc—means that security has to be beefed up. According toeye-witnesses, the bomb was placed in a scooter, and it went off at 6.55pm onJuly 13, with a deafening roar. The impact was so huge that the glass windows ofsecond and third floor offices in nearby buildings were shattered. Even onThursday morning, shards of glass carpeted the road. Kirti Doshi, a localbusinessman, said: “It is a depressing incident. We are all worried aboutthe future. You never know when the next attack will take place, and we do notfeel safe in Mumbai any longer.”Hardik Hundia, a diamond trader, was concerned about the economic impact of the blast. “It's not just businessmen in India who are running scared. Even clients from foreign countries who deal with us are worried,” he said.Meanwhile, Viren Shah of the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association said traders were demanding round-the-clock security from the police in busy market areas like Zaveri Bazar and Opera House.