LOC20:23
17:23 GMT
NEW DELHI, July 14 (KUNA) -- The Government of India will take every
possible step to prevent terror attacks in the future, said Indian Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh while on a visit to the country's financial
capital Mumbai, which faced serial bomb blasts Wednesday evening claiming 17
lives and injuring around 130 more.
Singh also said that the perpetrators of the blasts would be pursued
relentlessly and brought to book as soon as possible.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, the PM said "I assure the people that the
government will do everything in its power to prevent such attacks in the
future. I have asked the concerned authorities to coordinate their efforts and
resources to relentlessly pursue the perpetrators. They must be brought to
justice quickly and be subject to the rule of law that they have sought to
subvert.
"I seek the cooperation of all citizens in this effort. We owe this to the
grieving families," he noted.
Accompanied by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Premier also met the
injured in the hospitals and enquired about their well-being. He announced
financial assistance of nearly USD 4,500 for the kin of the dead and USD 2,250
for the injured, from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
Meanwhile, prominent opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani castigated the
Centre Government for not adopting a strict anti-terror policy to check terror
attacks. "It is not an intelligence failure. I don't accuse the government of
that as it is a failure of policy," he added. (end)
py.hb
KUNA 142023 Jul 11NNNN