There is a need for an effective mechanism to curb urban Naxalism.
On one hand, while curbing Naxalism, on the other hand, due to the effective implementation of various development schemes in the Naxal-affected areas over the past year, we will soon succeed in completely eradicating Naxalism in areas like Gadchiroli, expressed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with confidence.
He was speaking at a meeting organized by the Home Ministry at the Science Bhavan here, discussing the situation arising out of extremism. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the meeting. The state’s Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Secretary Manoj Saunik, Director General of Police Rajnish Seth, and Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Brijesh Singh were present.
Urban Naxalism is being propagated through the internet and social media, and there is a need to create an effective mechanism to stop it, the Chief Minister said.
Every year, billions of rupees are sent to Naxalites. To stop this money transaction, a joint group of ED, IT, and Financial Intelligence Unit should be formed to thoroughly investigate this, the Chief Minister also requested at this time.
Need for Railway Network
While speaking, Chief Minister Mr. Shinde emphasized the need to expand the railway network in Naxal-affected areas. He said that if the railway network is developed in the border areas of Gadchiroli, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, it will be very beneficial for development. If the railway network from Mancherial in Telangana to Sironcha and then from Bhopalpatnam in Chhattisgarh to Jagdalpur, and similarly, from Aheri to Shirpur (Kagaznagar) is developed, it will benefit the Surjagad iron project and overall development.
Eklavya School:
Night landing for helicopters
In the Maoist-affected areas, 3 out of 9 Eklavya Model Schools are operational. Construction of 4 schools is underway. The land issue for two schools in Korchi and Dhanora was resolved this month. The Chief Minister stated that injured police officers in Naxal operations need immediate medical attention. However, due to DGCA rules, night landings are not permitted. Like the military, we should be allowed to land helicopters at night during operations and rescue missions.
The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the central government for approving a fund of 57.50 crores for basic amenities in Naxal-affected areas. He said that operations to weaken the grip of Naxalites will intensify in the next two years.
The state government’s appeal in the Supreme Court against the release of G.N. Saibaba was accepted due to the continuous efforts of the Maharashtra Police and the role of Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Milind Teltumbde was killed in an encounter in Mardan Tola. Currently, 49% of active Naxal cadres in Maharashtra are from Chhattisgarh. There are 4 joint task force camps on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. The Chief Minister informed that Chhattisgarh’s government has been instructed to deploy their troops as well, to counter the Naxalites’ tactics. Under the guidance of the Home Ministry, utmost efforts are being made.
Strengthening Police Forces:
Special Task Force, Special Intelligence Bureau, and fortified police stations are being enhanced with special basic facilities, with an expenditure of 61.35 crores. There are 20 fortified police stations in Gadchiroli. The capacity of the task force is being increased with an expenditure of 12 crores. The construction will be completed by March 2025. Approval has been given for 25 officers and 500 staff for new police stations. This information was provided by Chief Minister Mr. Shinde.
Development Accelerated with Guardian Minister:
To promote development, there needs to be a link between police action and development against Naxalites. As the guardian minister of this district, I emphasized basic facilities along with action against Naxalites, which increased employment. Many steps have been taken to boost agriculture and industry. The Chief Minister said that efforts are being made to bring the general public, farmers, women, and youth into the mainstream.
Roads and Bridges Construction at a Fast Pace:
In the Naxal-affected areas, 46 roads and 108 bridges are being constructed with an expenditure of 883 crores. The total length of these roads is approximately 620 km. In the last year, 30 new roads with a length of 415 km were constructed. Of the remaining 16 roads, 8 will be completed by the end of this year, and the remaining 8 by March of the next year. Out of 108 bridges, 90 have been completed, 10 will be completed by the end of the year, and the remaining 8 by March 2024. The Chief Minister also informed that work on 4 bridges connecting Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra across the Indravati river will start soon with an expenditure of 91 crores.
Increased Mobile Connectivity:
For enhancing mobile connectivity, work on 66 out of 88 towers has started, and 32 towers have been initiated. Under the BSNL 4G project, work on 73 out of 405 towers in Naxal-affected districts is in progress, and 15 towers have been initiated. All land acquisition processes for all towers are complete. Under the Aspirational Districts program, 36 out of 350 towers in three districts have been operationalized, and land acquisition has been completed for 90% of the cases.
Large Investments Coming to Gadchiroli
The state has granted permission for mining activities in the Gadchiroli district. Due to the commencement of mining operations at Surjagad, both direct and indirect employment opportunities have been provided to 5,000 individuals. Through Lloyd Metals Limited, an integrated steel plant is being established with an investment of 20,000 crores, which will employ 7,000 individuals. In addition to this, there is a readiness for an investment of 1 lakh crores in the Gadchiroli district. The Samruddhi Expressway, which was previously limited to Nagpur, is now being extended by us to Bhandara, Gondia, and Gadchiroli. Now, industries like the Tata Group are assisting the government in skill development through their CSR initiatives in Gadchiroli. We are also assisting farmers in Gadchiroli to take their agricultural produce and products to large markets like Nagpur.
The district administration, police centers, and the state government’s schemes “Police Dadlora Khirdi” and “Shasan Aaplya Dari” are being coordinated. In the district, nearly 5 lakh beneficiaries, which is a significant portion of the population, have received benefits like Aadhaar cards, caste certificates, job cards, and skill development opportunities in the last two years.
The district administration, police center, and state government are coordinating through the “Police Aplaya Dari” (Police at Your Doorstep) and “Shasan Aplya Dari” (Government at Your Doorstep) programs. Benefits like Aadhar cards, caste certificates, job cards, and skill development have been provided to nearly 500,000 beneficiaries in the district in the last two years.
Increased Public Trust through ‘Government at Your Doorstep’:
Under the ‘”Shasan Aplya Dari (Government at Your Doorstep) campaign, 667,000 beneficiaries have been registered in Gadchiroli district. In the first program, 27,000 beneficiaries received benefits from various government schemes. This has helped increase the trust of the common people in the administration in this Naxal-affected area, as informed by Chief Minister Mr. Shinde.
Initially, the Chief Minister mentioned his visit to Kashmir. He said, “On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, I visited Srinagar and Kargil. The way people breathe freely there, we need to ensure a safe environment by eliminating terrorism in Naxal-affected areas like Gadchiroli.”
