Manpower with technology for security Benefits in India

Devendra Fadnavis says the 2008 Mumbai attacks were an insult to India wherein 10 terrorists held an entire nation to ransom

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday advocated "leveraging manpower with technology for security purposes", even as he asserted that the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks resulted in binding the city as a cohesive, rather than a fragmented force to the world.

"There is no problem in allotting more funds for security purposes. But the moot question is how are these funds being used. We have one option of hiring thousands of people for security purposes or have the option of leveraging technology with manpower," Fadnavis said at a video exhibition in South Mumbai titled '26/11, Stories of Strength' which was showcased by The Indian Express in association with Facebook and Instagram.

He said the 2008 Mumbai attacks were an insult to India wherein 10 terrorists held an entire nation to ransom.

While replying to a query on whether successive governments have done enough to avert such terror attacks in future, Fadnavis said nothing that is done will be enough as nobody knows how would terrorists strike.

"Technology is the solution for security. I have even conveyed this to the Union Home minister (Rajnath Singh). For instance, we have whole of Mumbai under CCTV surveillance today.

For coastal security, the basic problem was coordination between Central, state agencies and para military forces. We now have joint drills and have better co-ordination between the forces now. I have also suggested using thermal cameras for coastal security," he said.

Fadnavis said that the whole world should be proud of the resilience shown by the city to cope with the terror attacks.

"Yet, certain vested interests with myopic views have engaged in stray cases of intolerance. But at large, 26/11 attack has resulted in binding Mumbai as a cohesive, rather than a fragmented force," he said.

Fadnavis said that the government was doing all that it could to help minority youth come to the mainstream, but "it is the society that has to come forward and help such youth, who are socio-economically backward and vulnerable".