There were lapses, I'll strive to overcome them: P

UNION HOME Minister P. Chidambaram admitted to lapses on part of the government as well as security agencies but assured steps would be taken to improve things. "There have been lapses and I'll strain every nerve to overcome the causes of such lapses and try and improve the security system both at the state and central level," the minister said during visit to Mumbai on Friday.

Chidambaram, who took over as home minister on December 2 after Shivraj Patil quit in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes, toured the Taj Mahal hotel and Oberoi hotel and also visited the JJ Hospital. "Neither any state government nor central agency should go back to business as usual," he said at a press conference organised at the state police headquarters.

The investigation into the terror strike should be time-bound, he said. Drawing a parallel with the 9/11 terrorist strike, he said, "The incident changed the attitude of the entire country (US).

What happened in Mumbai should act as a trigger that would change our attitudes." "There is ample evidence to say the source of the terrorists clearly leads to the entity or organization which has been identified before for terror attacks in India.

One or two countries, through the evidence gathered by them, have confirmed the source of attack," Chidambaram said. "That is enough for you all to draw a conclusion.

" Chidambaram went on to say that the terror strike was not merely on the city. "It is a challenge to the soul of India.

It is a challenge to the diverse and tolerant society in which everyone can dream of a better tomorrow," he said. Mumbai will show the rest of India and take up the challenge and vanquish the terrorists, he added.