"Today there are reports about restaurant owners, shopkeepers, diamond merchants and even doctors leaving the city as they feel insecure here. This would severely affect the city's economy and capacity to create employment."

Pawar was speaking at a meeting convened by him with people from a cross section of society to discuss the deterioration of law and order in the city during the last three years. Pawar was accompanied by veteran socialist leader Mrinal Gore, Congress MP from south Mumbai Murli Deora, Bombay high court retired justice Deshpande and former sheriff Nana Chudasama.

Pawar said that the indifference on part of ordinary citizens was shocking and worrisome and the situation calls for large scale efforts by voluntary organisations and prominent citizens to re-awaken the civic consciousness among the people of Mumbai. "Whatis more, when murders or dacoities take place in broad daylight, or in crowded places, people prefer to walk away from the scene rather than come forward to prevent the crimes or even to help the victims," he added.

Pawar said that the recent decision by the state government to enact new legislation to combat organised crime or "mini-Tada" and launch encounters against criminals were debatable and added that "such measures become weapons of tyranny and graft in the hands of an indisciplined and demoralised police force."

"In the present atmosphere of nexus between the ruling political parties, gangsters and police, such measures could as well become the case of medicine being worse than the disease," he opined.

Pawar said that the law enforcement machinery cannot operate effectively without support of active help from the community and added that links between the police force and the community have weakened.

"The government could be persuaded to provide some kind of a formal structure such asMohalla Committees which should function regularly and cover a large number of issues including educating the citizens about their rights and responsibilities," he added.

He stressed the need for police and judicial reforms and added that a strong opinion in favour of carrying out judicial reforms should be built up.

Pawar said that the land use laws and the labour laws which were, perhaps, relevant to Mumbai as an industrial city, have today become outdated and perhaps, they were preventing creation of more employment in the services sector and non-traditional industry like software, garments and diamond cutting.

"If Mumbai emerges as an international financial and services centre, it would create a large number of employment opportunities for youth," he added. SM Shetty, member of the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association, called for a state of emergency for six months in Mumbai to regain confidence among the people who have been living in fear. He squarely blamed the state administration for themounting extortion menace and also strongly appealed to the politicians to stop interfering with the police functioning.

Mohan Gurnani, president of the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra and Subhash Chaphekar, member of the Small Scale Industries Association stressed the need for a united fight against the extortion. Kishor Shah, member of the Druggists and Chemists Association said that if the government fails to contain the crime in the city, they will stop paying sales tax and income tax. He announced that Vyapari Suraksha Samitis will be formed soon to protect the lives of traders.

KV Satyamurthi, member of the Federation of Accommodation Industry, called for setting up of citizens' vigilance committee at the police station level and added that police force should be strengthened and modernised.