Rajnath to kick off development schemes in Birsa Munda’s village
THE UNION HOME MINISTER’S VISIT IS PART OF THE CENTRE’S PLAN TO PAY HOMAGE TO FREEDOM FIGHTERS ACROSS THE NATION
RANCHI: Union home minister Rajnath Singh will pay homage to freedom fighter Birsa Munda at his native Ulihatu village, Khunti, on Saturday and lay the foundation stone for development schemes worth an estimated `110 crores in the village.
State home secretary NN Pandey, DGP DK Pandey and IG (operations) MS Bhatia visited Ulihatu on Thursday and reviewed the security arrangements.
Singh’s visit is part of the Centre’s plan to pay homage to freedom fighters across the nation, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations. Singh is scheduled to lay foundation stones for road schemes worth `94 crore and for a water supply scheme, worth `9.75 crore. He will also address a public gathering near the village.
A Khunti district official said that the administration plans to develop Ulihatu as a tourist spot with an investment of `5.38 crore, which includes the building of a tourism complex, the development of tourist spots and the construction of gates in the village.
SECURITY TIGHTENED
The police on Friday launched an extensive operation against the People Liberation Front of India to ensure security remains tight during Rajnath’s visit.
Ulihatu is located in the middle of a thick forest which was once a stronghold for left wing extremists. However police have currently regained control over the area and have established a camp there.
“We have got sufficient number of personnel for security,” Khunti SP Anis Gupta said, adding that the number of troops will be boosted with additional men on Saturday.
IG (operation) and Jharkhand police spokesman MS Bhatia said that 16 companies have been deployed to protect the road from Khunti to Ulihatu. The entire road has been sanitised. In addition, five SP-ranked officers, three ASPs and 14 DSPs are in charge of security of the area.