Title - Gujarat on high alert following Pune blasts

Gujarat went on high alert following the serial blasts at Pune last evening, a top police official said.State in-charge DGP Chittaranjan Singh said the high alert has been in force and will continue till August 15, Independence Day. "Then we will review the situation and take an appropriate decision," he said.The police in the state have been asked to be on "stand to" mode to counter any untoward incident. The Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and Special Operation Groups (SOGs) are on alert.Patrolling at all sensitive and strategic locations has been intensified. Checking of suspected vehicles, and those at entry and exits of cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot have been intensified. The security at prominent religious places like Ambaji, Dwarika and Somnath have been beefed up following the blasts.According to Ajay Tomar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Sector 1, Ahmedabad, the checking at hotels, guest houses, bus and railway station have been made more thorough."We are taking as much precaution as we can to avert any untoward incident," he said.In 2008, a series of 21 bomb blasts rocked the city of Ahmedabad, on 26 July 2008, which killed 56 persons within a span of 70 minutes. More than 200 persons were injured in the blasts.