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Landmark buildings, target this time

— Photo: PTI

Operation flush out: Windows shatter during a grenade attack by the NSG at the first floor of the Taj Hotel, in Mumbai on Friday.

MUMBAI: As a local and long distance railway station, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) is one of the busiest and biggest stations in the country. At 9.30 pm it would be particularly crowded as several long distance trains depart at that time and there are still thousands of commuters making their way home on the local trains. At least 27 lakh people go through CST in a day, according to an official source.

Landmark and heritage buildings, a popular café and five-star hotels in the upmarket areas of South Mumbai were the terrorists target this time. CST is the headquarters for the Central Railways. Named after Queen Victoria, CST was known as the Victoria Terminus until the Shiv Sena renamed it when they were heading the government in 1996.

Awarded the UNESCO heritage status in 2004, the CST is one of Mumbai’s most famous landmarks. Completed in 1888, the terminus took ten years to build.

According to the UNESCO it is “an outstanding example of Victorian gothic revival architecture in India blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture.”

In recent years there have been several threats to blow up the CST but until November 26 there had been no attack on this famous landmark.

The builders of Oberoi hotel would have never imagined that one day it would be the target of such a devastating terror attack. Located at the end of the city’s famous Marine Drive, the Oberoi hotel is one of the biggest luxury hotels in the city. The hotel has two towers - The Oberoi (21 floors) and The Trident (33 floors).

Most foreign nationals, who can afford five-star accommodation book rooms in this hotel. Even if they are not staying, the hotel is full of foreigners dining in its restaurants, using its business facilities or shopping in the arcade. Several multinational companies also have offices in some of the rooms. Recently, the hotel rented out space to expensive luxury brand stores such as Gucci and Salvatore Feragammo.

The Taj Mahal hotel too, is a historic landmark on the city’s waterfront. The several explosions in the building must have caused untold damage to its elegant interiors as well as the roof, much of which was already destroyed, except for the famous dome.

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