The Taj Hotel and the Trident hotel, the targets of November 26 terror attacks, reopened on Sunday after three weeks of refurbishment.
First guests checked in at around 7 pm at the Taj Mahal hotel and its celebrated restaurants and diners thronging the five joints which have been restored to their old glory.
Each of the restaurants received full bookings for the evening, hotel officials said.
The hotel's tower wing reopened 24 days after the terrorists attack on Mumbai and the Taj being the last to be rescued from the three terrorists holed up inside for over two-and-a-half-days.
Making a brief statement to reporters outside the hotel before the reopening, Ratan Tata, chairman of the Indian Hotel Company which owns the Taj hotel chain said, "To us it was a challenge to have the hotel reopened in some form within one month from the attack. We dedicate the restored hotel to those who lost their lives in the event that took place."
When asked about the enhanced security measures taken to ensure such events do not recur, he said, "We have our plans for security. But we cannot share it."
He said, "I hate to look back. All of us have learnt lessons."
A press statement issued by the company said it has unveiled a memorial in salutation to all of those who lost their lives in the hotel during the terrorist attacks.
The names of the 31 people who died in the attack will be inscribed at its base, the note said.
Raymond Bickson, Managing Director and CEO, Taj Hotels, Resort and Palaces said among those who died were the hotel's guests, staff members and police and security forces.
"We felt that it was fitting and proper for there to be a symbol of permanent remembrance for all of those who fell within the building," he said.
The press note quoting Ratan Tata said, "There is still much work to do, but we are all determined to rebuild the Taj brick by brick until it outshines even its former glories."
"The artwork would now be placed at the lobby of the hotel as a memorial and the names of the 31 persons who lost their lives in the hotel would be engraved on it," a senior official of the hotel said.
The Trident, which started its operations in morning after a multi-religion prayer meeting in the reception area, which was also attended by the Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, started seeing guests some of whom came to show that they would not be cowed down with such acts.
"We should be bold enough to deter and stop them (terrorists). Instead of getting scared, we should scare them with our resolve to fight back," Devendra Ksheer Sagar, one of the first customers, who visited the Trident said.
As the guests started trickling into the glistening lobby of the hotel, dolled up with flowers, they were greeted by the staff with traditional folded hands and a yellow flower. It seemed like a usual day but the staff took care that guests should be given much needed pampering to put the memories under the carpet.
"Some guests did ask questions about where was I when it (siege) started? Some were emotional while some were happy that we are back. In some cases we answered but in most we politely changed the discussion," one Trident staff preferring anonymity said.
The enhanced security apparatus put in place by the Trident was evident as bunkers were erected outside the main entrance of the hotel. In addition to this baggage scanners were also a new sight at the entrance. The security guards, with polite smile, thoroughly checked the guests and ascertained the identity before allowing them inside the hotel.
Source: Times of India
Showing posts with label bombay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bombay. Show all posts
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Terrorists attacked Taj Mahal likely to be fully functional by end 2009
Indian Hotels on Sunday said it expects to partially open Taj Mahal Palace in February and the entire hotel by end of 2009.
"The north block of the Heritage wing of the hotel is expected to be ready by February 2009 while the south block will be ready by end of next year," Indian Hotels Vice Chairman R K Krishna Kumar said.
On November 26, terrorists attacked Taj hotel and occupied the fifth and sixth floor of the Heritage wing.
The south side of the hotel came under heavy fire. "The fifth and sixth floor have been damaged by the attack. The Wasabi and Harbour Bar have been completely gutted," he said.
The company is in talks with four interior decorators out of which one would be selected for renovation of the hotel.
"This gives us an opportunity to work on it and redefine the Presidential suite. There would be new facilities and new designs and would bring something new to the world," Kumar said.
"The tower wing which opened for guests today has been cleansed of evil among other things. All the rooms and the kitchen have been fully cleaned and sanitised by an international agency," he said.
Religious rites of various faiths have been performed inside the hotel, he said.
The Taj hotel has an insurance cover of Rs 1,000 crore and the first instalment has been received without the company claiming for it.
"Our hotel is widely covered. The renovation would be below the limit of the insurance cover. Even before a formal claim was made, we received the first instalment cheque," Kumar said.
All Taj employees have undergone counselling sessions post the attack. In addition to this, the employees have also been trained to be on alert, he said.
The artwork in the hotel would be restored. "Curators have looked at the artworks. About 90 per cent of the artwork is untouched and the remaining have been damaged due to bullet marks but are not beyond redemption," Kumar said.
One piece of art with a bronze framework, 'Tree of Life' which is about seven feet high and had been placed on the sixth floor has not suffered any damage.
"The artwork would now be placed at the lobby of the hotel as a memorial and the names of the 31 persons who lost their lives in the hotel would be engraved on it," Kumar said.
With regard to security in the hotel, Kumar said the company would ensure that it has better security measures than airports in the country which had turned into fortresses.
"We would not be 100 per cent secure but we would be technologically smarter and better trained," he said.
Metal detectors have been installed and baggages will be thoroughly checked. "At the instance of (Tata Sons Chairman) Ratan Tata, we had approached the most premium agency in combating terrorism for advice regarding security measures," Kumar said, refusing to divulge the name of the agency.
"Taj has been legendary for its rooms and restaurants since 105 years now there will be a third dimension to it- security," he said.
Kumar further said that in September a general alert had been issued to all hotels in the city following which certain security measures had been taken, but there was no specific time period given about the attack.
Metal detectors were installed following the alert with baggage checks and frisking of guests at the entrance of the hotel.
"After two months, we reduced the security due to complaints of inconvenience from the guests," Kumar said.
When asked if the hotel would prohibit entry of guests from any other country, Kumar said, it cannot operate in isolation but in compliance with what the government decides.
Source: Agencies
"The north block of the Heritage wing of the hotel is expected to be ready by February 2009 while the south block will be ready by end of next year," Indian Hotels Vice Chairman R K Krishna Kumar said.
On November 26, terrorists attacked Taj hotel and occupied the fifth and sixth floor of the Heritage wing.
The south side of the hotel came under heavy fire. "The fifth and sixth floor have been damaged by the attack. The Wasabi and Harbour Bar have been completely gutted," he said.
The company is in talks with four interior decorators out of which one would be selected for renovation of the hotel.
"This gives us an opportunity to work on it and redefine the Presidential suite. There would be new facilities and new designs and would bring something new to the world," Kumar said.
"The tower wing which opened for guests today has been cleansed of evil among other things. All the rooms and the kitchen have been fully cleaned and sanitised by an international agency," he said.
Religious rites of various faiths have been performed inside the hotel, he said.
The Taj hotel has an insurance cover of Rs 1,000 crore and the first instalment has been received without the company claiming for it.
"Our hotel is widely covered. The renovation would be below the limit of the insurance cover. Even before a formal claim was made, we received the first instalment cheque," Kumar said.
All Taj employees have undergone counselling sessions post the attack. In addition to this, the employees have also been trained to be on alert, he said.
The artwork in the hotel would be restored. "Curators have looked at the artworks. About 90 per cent of the artwork is untouched and the remaining have been damaged due to bullet marks but are not beyond redemption," Kumar said.
One piece of art with a bronze framework, 'Tree of Life' which is about seven feet high and had been placed on the sixth floor has not suffered any damage.
"The artwork would now be placed at the lobby of the hotel as a memorial and the names of the 31 persons who lost their lives in the hotel would be engraved on it," Kumar said.
With regard to security in the hotel, Kumar said the company would ensure that it has better security measures than airports in the country which had turned into fortresses.
"We would not be 100 per cent secure but we would be technologically smarter and better trained," he said.
Metal detectors have been installed and baggages will be thoroughly checked. "At the instance of (Tata Sons Chairman) Ratan Tata, we had approached the most premium agency in combating terrorism for advice regarding security measures," Kumar said, refusing to divulge the name of the agency.
"Taj has been legendary for its rooms and restaurants since 105 years now there will be a third dimension to it- security," he said.
Kumar further said that in September a general alert had been issued to all hotels in the city following which certain security measures had been taken, but there was no specific time period given about the attack.
Metal detectors were installed following the alert with baggage checks and frisking of guests at the entrance of the hotel.
"After two months, we reduced the security due to complaints of inconvenience from the guests," Kumar said.
When asked if the hotel would prohibit entry of guests from any other country, Kumar said, it cannot operate in isolation but in compliance with what the government decides.
Source: Agencies
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Mumbai 26/11 ends after 60 long hours!
The war on terror in Mumbai was finally wrapped up 60 hours after a band of terrorists struck at various locations with three gunmen killed this morning at the landmark luxury Taj Hotel, bringing the operation to a close.
NSG commandos, who believed that a lone terrorist was holding out since yesterday, launched a final assault in the early hours of this morning and killed three terrorists to secure the old heritage area of the hotel opposite the Gateway of India.
"Three terrorists have been killed but the operations are still on. Until we search the entire hotel room by room and satisfy ourselves that there are no more terrorists I will not declare the operations are over.
"I don't know whether all of them have been killed. I can say only after completing the operations," Director General of NSG, J K Dutt, told reporters outside the hotel.
During the night, terrorists holed out in the hotel engaged in a fierce gun battle with security forces as some places in the first and the ground floors of the 565-room building set afire by terrorists amid explosions in the over 100-year-old heritage complex in the Colaba area.
Dutt said that the terrorists set on fire some rooms whenever they felt they were being cornered as a diversionary tactics.
An intense gun battle raged overnight at the Taj as commandos closed in on terrorists holed up in the heritage structure. Five huge explosions were also heard in the building in a span of 30 minutes.
The Marine commandos (Marcos) had surrounded the Taj where NSG personnel were carrying out the operation to flush out the terrorists. Multiple rounds of automatic gunfire and blasts from inside the building shattered several hours of relative calm.
The western metropolis witnessed unprecedented terror attacks, including on another luxury Trident-Oberoi hotel and a Jewish centre, on Wednesday night when heavily-armed terrorists struck killing over 160 people and injuring hundreds.
The might of the Indian security forces had to be brought in to rid these landmark in the country's financial capital of the heavily-armed suspected Pakistani terrorists, but the costs were heavy on both sides.
When the Oberoi was cleared of the terrorists yesterday, as many as 30 hostages were found dead.
Source: PTI
NSG commandos, who believed that a lone terrorist was holding out since yesterday, launched a final assault in the early hours of this morning and killed three terrorists to secure the old heritage area of the hotel opposite the Gateway of India.
"Three terrorists have been killed but the operations are still on. Until we search the entire hotel room by room and satisfy ourselves that there are no more terrorists I will not declare the operations are over.
"I don't know whether all of them have been killed. I can say only after completing the operations," Director General of NSG, J K Dutt, told reporters outside the hotel.
During the night, terrorists holed out in the hotel engaged in a fierce gun battle with security forces as some places in the first and the ground floors of the 565-room building set afire by terrorists amid explosions in the over 100-year-old heritage complex in the Colaba area.
Dutt said that the terrorists set on fire some rooms whenever they felt they were being cornered as a diversionary tactics.
An intense gun battle raged overnight at the Taj as commandos closed in on terrorists holed up in the heritage structure. Five huge explosions were also heard in the building in a span of 30 minutes.
The Marine commandos (Marcos) had surrounded the Taj where NSG personnel were carrying out the operation to flush out the terrorists. Multiple rounds of automatic gunfire and blasts from inside the building shattered several hours of relative calm.
The western metropolis witnessed unprecedented terror attacks, including on another luxury Trident-Oberoi hotel and a Jewish centre, on Wednesday night when heavily-armed terrorists struck killing over 160 people and injuring hundreds.
The might of the Indian security forces had to be brought in to rid these landmark in the country's financial capital of the heavily-armed suspected Pakistani terrorists, but the costs were heavy on both sides.
When the Oberoi was cleared of the terrorists yesterday, as many as 30 hostages were found dead.
Source: PTI
Mumbai Liberated: But will this be its wake-up call?
Just as the images of billowing smoke from the twin towers of New York are seared in the memories of people all television visuals of the raging fire in the ornate façade of Mumbai's iconic Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel will be recalled whenever the deadly terrorist attack on India's financial capital Nov 26-29 is mentioned. The booming sound of gunfire as the security forces engaged the jehadis will also become a part of the nation's collective memory.
Although Mumbai is no stranger to such outrages - the Taj itself experienced a car bomb attack in 2003 - the latest tragedy stands out from the rest for the simple reason that it was an evidently commando-style raid by suicide bombers with the express purpose of inflicting as much damage as possible on some of the city's landmarks and targets of its prosperity and progress.
While in the earlier attacks, the terrorists planted bombs in market places or trains and then left the scene, this time they stayed on to battle the security forces and die or be captured in the process. Since they were all heavily armed and were able to take hostages, they could carry on the confrontation with the police for prolonged periods, which could not but have a hugely demoralising effect on the city and the country. Since India had not seen such war-like scenes before, the impact was devastating and it would take some time before its political fallout could be measured.
It is possible that the terror groups had realised the diminishing effect of their earlier tactics of planting bombs in crowded places and vehicles. In spite of the initial shock and revulsion in those instances, the effect tended to wear off, leaving only the victims to mourn their losses. But gunbattles lasting for hours and the wheeling out of bodies covered in white sheets from five-star hotels can have a numbing effect.
Source: IANS
Although Mumbai is no stranger to such outrages - the Taj itself experienced a car bomb attack in 2003 - the latest tragedy stands out from the rest for the simple reason that it was an evidently commando-style raid by suicide bombers with the express purpose of inflicting as much damage as possible on some of the city's landmarks and targets of its prosperity and progress.
While in the earlier attacks, the terrorists planted bombs in market places or trains and then left the scene, this time they stayed on to battle the security forces and die or be captured in the process. Since they were all heavily armed and were able to take hostages, they could carry on the confrontation with the police for prolonged periods, which could not but have a hugely demoralising effect on the city and the country. Since India had not seen such war-like scenes before, the impact was devastating and it would take some time before its political fallout could be measured.
It is possible that the terror groups had realised the diminishing effect of their earlier tactics of planting bombs in crowded places and vehicles. In spite of the initial shock and revulsion in those instances, the effect tended to wear off, leaving only the victims to mourn their losses. But gunbattles lasting for hours and the wheeling out of bodies covered in white sheets from five-star hotels can have a numbing effect.
Source: IANS
Friday, November 28, 2008
Social Networking sites surface from Mumbai ashes
Bloggers across Mumbai fed live updates of the unfolding action after terrorists launched waves of attacks in the heart of India's financial capital, bringing the emergence of citizen journalism in news coverage to the fore in India.
Social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, were instantly updated with on-the-scene information by people. Minute-by-minute updates on social networking and micro-blogging sites not just satiated the writers’ hunger for expressing themselves, but also gave people more diverse news.
In fact, instead of switching on the television, many followed the action live on microblogging Twitter by searching the site for Bombay and Mumbai. In certain cases, Twitter updates reportedly appeared hours before the first TV stories.
The minute the news of the terrorist attacks broke out, sites like Twitter were inundated with a huge volume of messages. Twitter seemed to be the most popular choice among other social media sites. Just minutes after the first shots were fired; Tweeters (Twitter users) in Mumbai gave instant eyewitness accounts of the unfolding drama.
Messages, known as `tweets', were being posted to the site at a rate of around 80 tweets every five seconds when the news of the tragedy first broke, according to some estimates. Some bloggers provided running descriptions and commentaries from near the action, while others gave vent to their emotions.
"I've been tweeting almost all night from Mumbai. Upset and angry and bereft," said businesswoman Dina Mehta on her blog, http://www.dinamehta.com/blog.
Images of the attacks also surfaced on photo-sharing website Flickr. The site proved a useful source of haunting images chronicling the aftermath of the attacks.
Photographer Vinukumar Ranganathan has attracted hundreds of thousands of visits to his Flickr photo page where he has published a chilling slideshow depicting the aftermath of the attacks.
Twitter came in for some criticism as well in the blogosphere for divulging too many details that could prove helpful to the gunmen holed up in the hotels with their hostages and who may have been monitoring blog sites.
"It's a terrorist strike. Not entertainment. So tweeters, please be responsible with your tweets," said one blogger identified as primaveron@mumbai.
Unfortunately, the site also contained misleading threads, some of it purporting to be from intelligence services. In fact, many of the posts on Twitter amounted to unsubstantiated rumours and wild inaccuracies.
According to CNN, a rumour that the Indian government was asking Tweeters to stop live updates to avoid compromising its security efforts was published and republished on the site.
This was reportedly fueled by certain news websites, which posted the Tweet on their live update. It read: "Indian government asks for live Twitter updates from Mumbai to cease immediately. ALL LIVE UPDATES - PLEASE STOP TWEETING."
Several local Indian news channels were reported to have carried a live feed of the Twitter updates on the Mumbai attacks.
Twitter's contributors also questioned the veracity of certain TV news reports, pointing out contradictions and errors. When Indian reporters announced an end to Taj hotel siege time and again, Tweeters contended that gunfights were continuing. "Locals say gunfire still happening at Taj," said one feed, hours after fighting was said to have finished.
Many social network users also sent pleas for blood donors to make their way to specific hospitals in Mumbai where doctors were faced with blood shortage and rising casualties. Throughout the night, bloggers were active compiling news reports and contact information and information on blogging sites like mumbaihelp.blogspot.com.
Tweeters were also mobilised to help with transcribing a list of the dead and injured from hospitals, which were quickly posted online. mumbaihelp.blogspot.com also offered advice to those with friends and family in the city. "Suggest you avoid calling. Lines are bound to be jammed."
Other websites also quickly filled up with information: Wikipedia had a page up on the attacks by early Thursday morning. A Google map was created just hours after the explosions to mark the locations that had been hit.
Dozens of videos of the attacks have flooded the YouTube too. Gauravanomics has an exhaustive list of online coverage of the attacks. Slained Anti-Terrosism Squad (ATS) chief, Hemant Karkare, was reportedly the most searched topic on Google for nearly an hour after his death was declared.
Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday was highly viewed, followed by angry comments.
Source: Indiatimes Infotech
Social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, were instantly updated with on-the-scene information by people. Minute-by-minute updates on social networking and micro-blogging sites not just satiated the writers’ hunger for expressing themselves, but also gave people more diverse news.
In fact, instead of switching on the television, many followed the action live on microblogging Twitter by searching the site for Bombay and Mumbai. In certain cases, Twitter updates reportedly appeared hours before the first TV stories.
The minute the news of the terrorist attacks broke out, sites like Twitter were inundated with a huge volume of messages. Twitter seemed to be the most popular choice among other social media sites. Just minutes after the first shots were fired; Tweeters (Twitter users) in Mumbai gave instant eyewitness accounts of the unfolding drama.
Messages, known as `tweets', were being posted to the site at a rate of around 80 tweets every five seconds when the news of the tragedy first broke, according to some estimates. Some bloggers provided running descriptions and commentaries from near the action, while others gave vent to their emotions.
"I've been tweeting almost all night from Mumbai. Upset and angry and bereft," said businesswoman Dina Mehta on her blog, http://www.dinamehta.com/blog.
Images of the attacks also surfaced on photo-sharing website Flickr. The site proved a useful source of haunting images chronicling the aftermath of the attacks.
Photographer Vinukumar Ranganathan has attracted hundreds of thousands of visits to his Flickr photo page where he has published a chilling slideshow depicting the aftermath of the attacks.
Twitter came in for some criticism as well in the blogosphere for divulging too many details that could prove helpful to the gunmen holed up in the hotels with their hostages and who may have been monitoring blog sites.
"It's a terrorist strike. Not entertainment. So tweeters, please be responsible with your tweets," said one blogger identified as primaveron@mumbai.
Unfortunately, the site also contained misleading threads, some of it purporting to be from intelligence services. In fact, many of the posts on Twitter amounted to unsubstantiated rumours and wild inaccuracies.
According to CNN, a rumour that the Indian government was asking Tweeters to stop live updates to avoid compromising its security efforts was published and republished on the site.
This was reportedly fueled by certain news websites, which posted the Tweet on their live update. It read: "Indian government asks for live Twitter updates from Mumbai to cease immediately. ALL LIVE UPDATES - PLEASE STOP TWEETING."
Several local Indian news channels were reported to have carried a live feed of the Twitter updates on the Mumbai attacks.
Twitter's contributors also questioned the veracity of certain TV news reports, pointing out contradictions and errors. When Indian reporters announced an end to Taj hotel siege time and again, Tweeters contended that gunfights were continuing. "Locals say gunfire still happening at Taj," said one feed, hours after fighting was said to have finished.
Many social network users also sent pleas for blood donors to make their way to specific hospitals in Mumbai where doctors were faced with blood shortage and rising casualties. Throughout the night, bloggers were active compiling news reports and contact information and information on blogging sites like mumbaihelp.blogspot.com.
Tweeters were also mobilised to help with transcribing a list of the dead and injured from hospitals, which were quickly posted online. mumbaihelp.blogspot.com also offered advice to those with friends and family in the city. "Suggest you avoid calling. Lines are bound to be jammed."
Other websites also quickly filled up with information: Wikipedia had a page up on the attacks by early Thursday morning. A Google map was created just hours after the explosions to mark the locations that had been hit.
Dozens of videos of the attacks have flooded the YouTube too. Gauravanomics has an exhaustive list of online coverage of the attacks. Slained Anti-Terrosism Squad (ATS) chief, Hemant Karkare, was reportedly the most searched topic on Google for nearly an hour after his death was declared.
Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday was highly viewed, followed by angry comments.
Source: Indiatimes Infotech
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