We'll create our own anti-terror mechanism: Tata

We'll create our own anti-terror mechanism: Tata
17 Dec 2008, 0130 hrs IST, TNN

MUMBAI: Expressing lack of faith in the system to protect his property, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons, whose group owns the Taj chain of hotels, said on Tuesday that he was planning to set up his own anti-terror mechanism to protect his people and assets.

``We have decided that we will now look at anti-terrorism or protection of our assets and our people ourselves and we will try to create a deterrent. We will not try to create heroes who will engage in the enemy but to try and find as many invisible forms of deterring this, containing them or thwarting their efforts and that's what we are engaged in doing and we will seek external expertise to help us set it up," he said on Tuesday.

According to Tata, when the firing at the Taj Hotel took place, for a period of time there was a view that it was a gang war and that the local police were to deal with it.

``In the Taj, the first contingent of policemen came with three policemen. They were ill-equipped to handle them, in fact one of them got killed, the other got shot badly and one remains. The naval seals or commandos were there a couple of hours later. But we had to go through the state machinery to get it and that took time. So it was just not coordinated and easily accessible," Tata told the media.

``You have to accept that you cannot just constantly react to something after it takes place. You have got to look at creating a deterrent and that starts with good intelligence and sustained intelligence. It starts with the ability to put into action a plan that deals closes of the airport, everyone knows what they are supposed to do rather than think on your feet after the event. It calls for mechanisms to make that happen," said Tata.

According to Tata, the question of leadership comes from the fact that there has to be leadership in knowing what to do. "The Fire Department didnt know what to do. The commandos came too late. The police were not equipped to engage. There didnt seem to be means of getting reinforcements. So all in all, there was an issue of not having a single leader. "

[color=red]Sure why not.. Tata's can afford to do so. But what about the millions of other small time businessmen who cannot afford to even pay for regular staff? Already I have seen pvt guard doubling up as a telephone operators/receptionist and coffee machine operators in the pantry-- obviously while doing so -- security is being compromised. Also with so many armed guards around-- the real threat would not be the terrorists but these very guards who might get drunk and decide to settle personal scores.