Mantralaya fire: ‘Brand Mumbai’ takes a hard hit

MUMBAI: Mumbai's brand image has been further hit due to inept handling of the situation after key floors of the state headquarters were gutted on Thursday.

"Mumbai is not only the capital of Maharashtra but the financial and commercial capital of India too. The series of incidents, particularly the worst terror attack on November 26, 2008, caused a major dent in Mumbai's image,'' a former chief secretary told ToI on Friday.

Despite the fact that Mumbai is on the hit-list of terrorist groups from neighbouring Pakistan, law-enforcing agencies were unable to handle the attack. It was contended that it was not an attack on Mumbai but an attack on the nation. Several excuses were made to justify poor handling of the situation. A committee was appointed and it submitted a report but major recommendations are gathering dust in the home department.

The attack was followed by three incidents of serial bomb blasts in Mumbai and Pune and investigations in both cases are on.

Even as the law-enforcing agencies were at the receiving end, another dent was caused by the multi-crore Adarsh housing scam, involving leading politicians, bureaucrats and high-ranking military personnel. While the state government set up a commission of inquiry, the Central Bureau of Investigation not only initiated criminal proceedings again-st a former chief minister, but also arrested senior bureaucrats, military officials and a politician for their dubious roles.

And now, the seat of power has been gutted. "The country watched Mantralaya burn and the inability of the civic administration to control the fire. Our chief minister speaks about converting Mumbai into a world class city but we are unable to tackle even a minor fire. When it begins, every fire is minor, and when we are unable to control it, it assumes massive proportions,'' he said.

A veteran bureaucrat observed that it will be difficult to restore Mumbai's image. "Mumbai was known to be peaceful. Now, over a period of time, lawlessness has become the rule rather than the exception. It appears that it has achieved a dubious distinction of a city being targeted by terrorists, a city of scams and above all, very poor management at all levels,'' he said.