It doesn’t require any ingenuity to gauge that the end of Ajmal Qasab doesn’t imply the end of terror, or the threat to India. Mumbai’s vulnerability was betrayed on 26/11 — the fourth anniversary is two days away — and assurances were given in the aftermath by authorities about better preparedness, more security and tighter vigilance.

Few, if any, of these promises have been kept. A case in point is the proposed video surveillance network that has remained practically pigeonholed for years now. Irrespective of when the plan is finally implemented, the inordinate delay has already ensured that the estimated cost has gone up from the initial Rs 300 crore to Rs 864 crore.