NEW DELHI: With the spell of the left-wing extremism reigning high, the Union Home Ministry has convened a meeting of top government and police officials of Naxal-hit states to make its anti-Naxal strategy more effective.
The meet will take place on Wednesday and will be attended by Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of the red corridor states — namely Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The meeting will have brain storming sessions on the situation in the Naxal-infested areas.
Lack of synergy between the state police and the central security forces is the biggest concern for the officials as many times it has been observed that Naxals escape by crossing state borders after committing crime.
Among other issues, the killing of four BSF personnel in Odisha’s Malkangiri would also be on the agenda. Left-wing extremism has spread across 270 police stations and 64 districts in eight states. Last year, 447 civilians and 142 security personnel were killed.
The MHA has been following a two-pronged strategy of offensive and development against the Naxals. As per the strategy, while the government has dedicated some 71,000 paramilitary troops to fight the menace of Naxalism, it has also allocated `337 crore in 2011-12. The meeting will review the developmental initiatives taken by the government in the Naxal-hit states.