Mysuru: Following the low intensity bomb blast at Mysuru court premises which shook the city, a proposal to install a permanent bomb disposal squad has been approved.

Mysuru attracts more than 25 lakhs of visitors from across the globe. The city, known for several hotspots like DFRL, CFTRI, RBI, Infosys, Mysuru Palace, Chamundi hills, Mysuru Zoo, KRS Dam had a bomb detection squad, but no bomb disposal unit.

Following the blast on August 1, the proposal sent by Mysuru police commissioner to have a bomb disposal unit has been approved. Usually, the bomb disposal units would be called in from Bengaluru during Dasara and VVIP meetings, who would later return. In Mysuru, there are two bomb detection squads with 12 staff and a canine squad.

There have been several hoax bomb calls in the city from the past few years. Post office hoax bomb call on September 26, 2013; KR Hospital hoax bomb call on October 2, 2014; email bomb threatening call on September 21, 2014; Ambavilas Palace bomb call on January 23, 2015; police commissioner’s office bomb call on March 5, 2015; private college hoax bomb call on October 1, 2015 and DC office bomb call on January 25, 2016, RBI are few of the instances. All these bomb threatening calls prompted police commissioner B Dayanand to send a proposal to install a permanent bomb disposal squad in the city. The government has also initiated necessary requirements for the formation of a new bomb disposal squad in this regard.