Shah-led meet resolves to intensify anti-Maoist ops
In high-level meeting attended by 6 CMs, state decide to ensure choking flow of funds to insurgents and filling up the security vacuum
NEW DELHI: Intensifying operations against the Maoists and choking the flow of funds to them were the two key issues discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah and attended by six chief ministers and top officials of four other states here on Sunday, people in knowing of the development said.
Action against frontal organisations of the Maoists, filling up the security vacuum, concerted action by the Enforcement Directorate, the National Investigation Agency and the state police were other vital issues discussed during the nearly three-hour-long meeting.
The chief ministers who attended the meeting were Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra) and Hemant Soren (Jharkhand), official sources said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan did not attend the meeting. Their states were represented by senior officials.
According to sources, intensifying operations against the Maoists, filling up the security vacuum, choking the flow of funds to extremists and concerted action by the ED, the NIA and the state police were discussed threadbare in the meeting.
Focused investigation and prosecution of cases, action against front organisations, coordination amongst states, capacity building of state intelligence branches and special forces of the states, construction of fortified police stations were other issues discussed at the meeting.
The home minister reviewed with the chief ministers and officials the security situation and ongoing operations against Maoists and development projects being carried out in the Maoists-affected areas, the sources said.
Shah took stock of the requirements of the states, the strength of forces deployed to tackle the extremists, development works like the construction of roads, bridges, school, and health centres being carried out in Maoist-hit areas.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Maoist problem has been reduced to only three districts in his state and the meeting discussed what is required to be done to reduce it further.
The development issues which were discussed at the meeting include road connectivity, speeding up construction of long pending roads, improvement of telecommunication network by upgrading the mobile towers installed in last five years in Naxal-hit areas and expedition of installation of the more mobile towers in poor network zones.
The central government is also planning to set up Eklavya schools and ensure coverage of post offices in all gram panchayats in Maoist-hit districts.
Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Giriraj Singh, Arjun Munda and Nityanada Rai also attended the meeting.