In something of a welcome change, Gujarat has been more or less absent from national headlines this week, but as the state slips into festive mode with Ganesh Utsav, then Eid-ul-Fitr, followed by Navratri — which entails nine days of revelry— and then Diwali, the Government and law enforcement agencies here are not taking any chances.

On September 3, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, shared a press briefing session with L K Advani in Delhi and recently met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well — the

focus of both meetings was to drive home the point that the state and the country need tough terror laws.

And, of course, Modi as well as the BJP had something to be chuffed about, since it is Gujarat, which made a breakthrough in the Ahmedabad blasts within less than a month of the devastating incidents that ripped through the city on July 26.

In the wake of this ‘triumph’, this week has Gujarat witnessing full-page colour ads in all the dailies telling citizens how to spot terrorists, even as Ganesh pandals were equipped with metal detectors and various localities fitted with close circuit TV cameras.

As the state struggles to leave the trauma of the blasts behind, the mood is cautiously festive across Gujarat — and with Ganesh Utsav and Ramzan celebrations coinciding this year — the authorities do not wish to tempt fate. So, Ganesh pandal organisers have been briefed to exercise extra caution and install CCTV cameras, while sensitive areas in Vadodara are also being watched around the clock by these security devices. What may have been viewed as an invasion of privacy prior to the blasts is now welcomed as a crucial safety measure.

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