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| IB warns west coast hotels of a Mumbai Taj repeat |
| Swaraj Baggonkar / Mumbai Jul 21, 2009, 01:01 IST |
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Intelligence Bureau (IB) warnings of a possible terror strike in key tourist spots along the western coast has forced many top hotel companies, mostly from the premium category,to raise security at their prime assets. The warning says Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pak-based Islamic outfit which is considered to have organised the 26/11 mayhem in Mumbai last year, is planning to stage another like that on some areas frequented by tourists in places like Mumbai, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
The warning was issued by IB based on the findings from the Pakistani militant who was recently apprehended in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), who also hinted the attackers will come by sea.
Acting on the tip, hotel companies have decided on stricter security. Some hotel properties have been asked to raise the threat level to ‘red’, the highest one.
M K V Panicker, advisor, corporate relations (including security), The Leela, said, “We have upped security across all our properties, following the IB notice. You will find more but unobtrusive security personnel inside the hotel campus than usual. The comfort of our guests, however, will not be compromised.”
Some hotels have laid down stricter security measures in-house, which does not let any guest stay in the lobby area for more than 10 minutes. Besides, regular metal detector checks, sniffer dogs and armed security men in plain clothes will guard the premises round the clock.
Uday Rao, manager, Four Seasons Hotel (Mumbai), said: “You will find more people in the lobby who are basically security personnel. Our staff has been asked to be more vigilant. We also do basic profiling of the guest. In addition, we do frequent checks of the garage, checking for suspicious or unusual vehicles.”
Despite the threat, the government remains undecided on providing Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) cover to popular hotel properties. The CISF currently provides cover mainly to vital government installations.
“We had placed a request to the ministry for a comprehensive CISF cover for our properties sometime ago, but nothing has been done so far. We do not know when we will get it,” added Panicker.
In February this year, the Rajya Sabha approved the CISF Amendment Bill, which allowed it to provide cover to private sector units, too. The CISF cover will, however, come at a price, as their commandos will have to be paid salaries as specified by the Sixth Pay Commission.
The rising threat to security levels will further impact the businesses of tourism in the country. The hospitality industry has been hit by falling room rates and occupancy rates since the past seven to eight months, following the global financial crisis and the terrorist attacks on India.
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