Date:15/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091553680400.htm

New Delhi

Cabinet meet to review situation

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit visited Jessa Ram, Sir Ganga Ram and Ram Manohar Lohia hospitals on Sunday to enquire about the health of those who were injured in the serial blasts in the city on Saturday.

Analyse metro security

The Chief Minister has also convened a Cabinet meeting at 4-30 p.m. on Monday to review the situation. Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director E. Sreedharan have also been called to the meeting to study and analyse the security of the Delhi metro network as two of the blasts on Saturday had taken place close to its stations.

At the meeting, sources said, the formalities for releasing the compensation amount to the families of the deceased and the injured would also be finalised.

It has already been announced by the Chief Minister that the Delhi Government will bear the cost of treatment of all the injured no matter whether they are in government or private hospitals.

Issue of waste bins

As the terrorists had used the waste bins for planting explosives, the Delhi Government would be giving thought to curbing their misuse in future. Since removing bins outright would be difficult, making them of a much tougher material could be considered.

In the meantime, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J.P. Agarwal has described the blasts as brutal acts of terror against humanity. Wondering “what is achieved by them”, he said the Government was doing everything possible to prevent them.

‘Global problem’

Responding to the charge of some BJP leaders that the Congress had made India a soft State, Mr. Agarwal said, “terrorism is a global problem. Even the United States had been attacked on 9/11 and it is not a soft State.”