As one of the most targeted areas, Zaveri Bazaar's security cannot afford any chinks in its armour; decongestion of lanes, installation of bollards needed
One of the busiest and oldest jewellery and cloth markets of South Mumbai, Zaveri Bazaar has seen a maximum number of terrorist attacks in the city. Though a lot of steps were taken to secure Zaveri Bazaar after the 2011 terror attacks, an assessment of safety and security measures conducted by DNA revealed that high footfall of shoppers, businessmen, and devotees — who come here to visit Mumbadevi, one of the city's oldest temples — makes it still a vulnerable place.
Zaveri Bazaar was earlier targeted by terrorists in 1993, 2003 and 2011.
After the 2011 blasts, the area was heavily barricaded by the police. There is a prohibition on entry of vehicles to the Mumbadevi temple. After the 2011 attack, there's a round-the-clock deployment of armed policemen outside the temple.
Several locations in the Bazaar bear boards stating, "This area is under CCTV surveillance". However, there are no bollards at the footpath that could act as a barrier if a speeding vehicle loses control and veers towards the footpath.
Locals feel more needs to be done to ensure that the area is secure. Speaking to DNA, shopkeeper Mahavir Shah said, "I have been witness to the three blasts at Zaveri Bazaar. I believe that the security level has to be beefed up more considering it has been targeted more than any other place in Mumbai by terrorists. In 2011, a terrorist had parked an explosive-laden vehicle in Khau Gully here that later exploded. Six years later, there is still no check on the entry of vehicles."
Bhuleshwar resident Ketan Adhvaryu feels the area needs to be decongested. "Since Zaveri Bazaar has a high footfall through the day, it becomes an easy target for terrorists. While lanes are narrow, there is also excessive parking inside these lanes. And we have seen in the past that this makes work of firefighting teams difficult during emergencies. This needs to be sorted," he said.
The national secretary of Indian Bullion Jewellers Association that operates from here, Surendra Mehta, though, showed confidence in the security measures. "There is ample security in and around Zaveri Bazaar. There are police chowkies in Dagina and Dhanji Street. That way it is quite a safe place. There are cameras by police. We (the association) are also installing additional 36 cameras in about 15 days. There's police movement during the night as well. We have only requested that boulders like those near the stock market be put up near Kalbadevi and Dava Bazaar to restrict vehicular movement. We have approached the RTO for permissions for it."
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