BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said Maoist menace is the most critical internal security challenge faced by the nation which needs to be effectively countered by both the Centre and the State Government and demanded better railway connectivity, banking facilities and teleservices for the affected districts in Odisha.
“I have urged the Centre for teleservices, banking facilities and rail connectivity in Maoist hit Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts,” Naveen said after the Inter-State Council meeting on Maoist operations at New Delhi.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister sought the support of the Centre for early installation of mobile towers at 866 locations in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas and placement of a dedicated helicopter for the State. He said railway connectivity projects to Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts should be completed within 36 months. The State Government has committed to provide land free of cost and also bear a substantial portion of the estimated expenditure for the railway projects.
Rly, tele, bank links can contain Maoists: Naveen
“Banking infrastructure needs to be set up in the unbanked areas,” the Chief Minister said and also requested the Centre for early release of `227 crore pending under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme.He urged the Centre to waive deployment charge of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in Odisha as ensuring the internal security is a constitutional obligation of the Union Government.
Reiterating the commitment of the Odisha Government to the strategy of pro-active security and sustained holistic development of the affected areas to contain this problem decisively, Naveen requested the Centre to provide full support to the State Government in this regard. Stating that Odisha has been experiencing the scourge of LWE for more than three decades, he said the well calibrated security response and targeted developmental and confidence building initiatives of the State Government have gradually brought about a very significant improvement in the LWE situation.
The Chief Minister said during 2018 and till August 15 this year, 26 LWE cadres have died in police action and 35 surrendered while 85 have been arrested . The most redeeming feature in Odisha has been the dwindling mass support and recruitment of local cadres. As a result, the total strength of the LWE cadres operating in Odisha has reduced substantially, he said.
Naveen said plan of action of the State Government against the LWE problem focuses on aggressive intelligence based operations in most LWE affected areas by special forces and CAPFs, intensified joint operations in the inter-state border areas, pro-active area domination in moderately and less affected areas and focused developmental initiatives for holistic development of the area.Despite the extremely hostile security environment, Odisha has successfully commissioned the Gurupriya bridge to connect the cut-off area of the Malkangiri district, which is now called the ‘Swabhiman Anchal’, he said.