The ghost of the Mumbai terror attacks continues to haunt the state. Hundreds of work hours across Maharashtra are lost in meetings. Meetings are held on any and every agenda under the sun.

New command structures have been created and offices redesigned. Officers have been promoted to fill vacant posts and, in their place, deputies have been nominated.

Almost all senior police officers in Mumbai are spending hundreds of hours every month in meetings, discussing unsolved crime cases of the past, coming up with justifications for the nakabandis, and on goes a long list.

With hundreds of committees and sub-committees being formed to discuss security issues, chai and biscuit manufactures are getting good business. Moreover, additional people have been employed to serve the chai and biscuits. In fact, now, their job description has been expanded to include arranging chairs for the all-important meetings.

The meetings are not restricted to senior cops. Dozens of meetings are held with ministers at their bungalows or at Mantralaya.

Meetings have not only become the favourite pastime of top cops, but defence officers too. In the past 18 months, the Navy and Coast Guard have changed their command structures. Captains have been promoted to the rank of admirals or vice admirals so they can occupy new offices.