A day after suburban Ghatkopar was hit by a bomb blast that claimed two lives and injured at least 45 people, Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil-kumar Shinde placed the state on full alert, while expressing confidence those responsible for the blast would be arrested.

Although no terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the Monday blast, "preliminary investigations reveal that Ahle Hadith, with links to the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, may be involved in the blast," Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters yesterday.

A powerful blast occurred in a public transport bus of the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), on Monday at 9.05pm on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg as the bus stalled in heavy traffic in the crowded suburb.

Though this is the second blast in a BEST bus and one again in Ghatkopar, the city itself has been a victim of series of bomb explosions in the past eight months.

Previous blasts include explosion in bus in Ghatkopar on December 2, 2002, blast at MacDonald's, Bombay Central Station on December 6, 2002, blast in Vile Parle, January 28, 2003 blast on a train in Mulund on March 13, 2003 .

Shinde announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs200,000 to the nearest relative of the dead, Rs50,000 to the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 to all the injured.

Commenting on the security, Ahmed Javed, Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Mumbai Police, told Gulf News that additional security measures are being put in place with random checking across the city.

"In a big city like Mumbai, we cannot expect the public to be alert all the time though incidents like this one brings back the focus on alertness."

When asked about reports of one or two women clad in black getting down from the bus at a stop prior to the blast, he said the police are in the process of questioning witnesses.

Both Shinde and Bhujbal were grilled by reporters as to whether there was a failure of the intelligence, the latter replied that it was an all-India intelligence failure.

"My resignation is being demanded. If it could help in stopping the blasts, I am ready to do so," Bhujbal said.

Even as police tightened security across the city and state, especially at Nashik where the Kumbh (religious congregation) is to start today, the city's transport authorities came out with their own set of security measures being introduced.

Chairman of BEST, Ashish Chemburkar said at a press conference that the seat accommodating six passengers at the rear end of single-decker buses would be removed as a safety measure.

The luggage compartment in double-decker buses has already been discontinued as a safety measure. Security personnel in civilian clothes are to be deployed on all routes that have a heavy passenger load.

"A public announcement system will be installed in all the buses, and we have already started with 25."

Shinde has meanwhile appealed to the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena not to go ahead with the call for a shutdown of Mumbai tomorrow. Bhujbal said, "I want to say, we should not be indulging in politics at a time like this."