While America's response was to start a 'War on Terror', and tighten security around and within its borders, India's has been startlingly lax.

Do we need a unified Body to deal with terror?

One step in the right direction has been the establishment of the National Investigative Agency, a federal agency that is empowered to combat terrorism and terror related crimes across the country, without special permission from the states. However, the Indian government has failed to form the equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security, which is desperately needed in order to effectively combat terrorism. For all the good that the NIA may do, government departments are still mired in bureaucracy and have to liaison with each other for the smallest task. Each department is unable to act without the approval or complicity of other departments which hampers any effort to combat terrorism. A single government department would be able to maintain control over any anti-terrorism efforts and ensure that there are no leaks or miscommunication between departments.

Equipped but not equipped enough

The government has spent billions of rupees on providing new weapons and equipment to the security forces. Mumbai alone has spent more than one billion rupees in adding teams of heavily armed, highly trained commandos, Force One. Having two elite forces operating in the area can cause miscommunication during the delicate stages of an operation such as 26/11. Not to mention, keeping two fully equipped commando bases operational is a drain on government resources, which could be allocated to other equally important tasks.

One of those tasks is the monitoring and patrolling of India's coastline, which despite the recruitment of 3,000 additional personnel and the purchase of 80 boats and planes, is still far too inadequate for the vast western Indian shoreline. Four new bases have been set up along Maharashtra's coastline, but it remains to be seen whether they will be enough to effectively sweep the entire coast and ensure that terrorists will not be able to use it as an access point into India.

Political honchos are back in office

The lack of accountability shown by the politicians hides a lack of results in combating the problems exposed by the Mumbai attacks. Enforcing security is still regarded as a chore by guards stationed in public places, for example, in train stations, metal detectors bleep away with guards scarcely bothered to bat an eyelid in its direction.