Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday called for a coordinated operation to tackle the Left Wing Extremism.
Reiterating that Naxal problem is a national concern and poses a serious threat to national security, the Chief Minister asserted that the menace has to be crushed firmly to uphold democracy and the rule of law.
Addressing the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on issues relating to Naxal violence in various States in New Delhi, the Chief Minister said Maoist problem has turned out to be a serious national issue.
He added that the Maoists are taking advantage of the inaccessible forest areas as their hideouts and the porous State boundaries to escape from one State to another after committing the acts of violence. This calls for well coordinated joint efforts for seamless operations against the Maoists across State borders.
“We need to adopt a two-pronged strategy including firm enforcement of law and accelerated development. Effective implementation of the strategy requires equitable deployment of Central Forces amongst the LWE affected States and addressal of economic inequality by providing special attention to the tribal and backward areas,” Patnaik said.
Expressing concern over the delay in construction of a bridge on river Sileru at Motu in the tribal dominated and Naxal infested Malkangiri district by the Andhra Pradesh Government, he suggested that the neighbouring States should join hands to help each other to effectively tackle the menace of Left Wing Extremism.
He suggested for creation of inter-state joint task forces for coordinated anti-Naxal operations in border areas including sharing of intelligence for effective and coordinated operations.
The Chief Minister said though progressive improvement has been achieved in tackling Maoists in Odisha, the situation remains sensitive particularly in the western parts of the State and along the Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh borders.
He said the Maoists are consolidating their position in Sunabeda Reserve Forest by forming Chhattisgarh-Odisha Border State Committee and planning to strategically link up with the Saranda region of Jharkhand-Odisha border and the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh-Andhra-Odisha border.
This requires liberal Central assistance for ensuring adequate and equitable deployment of police forces, improvement of roads, communication, helicopter support, health care, education, public distribution system and other basic requirements. The CM called upon all political parties to come together and collaborate to achieve the goal of eradicating the Naxal problem in the country.
