Odisha Unified Command discusses coordination issues in anti-Naxal ops

Bhubaneswar: The unified command of Odisha met today to discuss the prevalent Maoist situation in the state and review various underlying coordination issues between various agencies involved in anti-Naxal operations.

Chief Secretary AP Padhi who chaired this first meeting of the year said discussions were held on coordination issues between the state and central agencies.

“Over last four months, a lot of improvements in infrastructure have been done especially in terms of logistics inside camps,” Padhi told media persons.

Barring the Sunki Ghat blast incident, there has been noticeable decline in Maoist violence and activities. During the recently concluded Panchayat polls, instances of Maoist violence were also far less as compared to previous elections,” Padhi added.

Besides, the chief secretary also said that the much awaited completion of Gurupriya Bridge in Malkangiri will improve connectivity in the far flung areas and also will be helpful in beefing up security operations.

Speaking to media persons, police DG KB Singh said discussions were held on various operational and administrative matters. “We also discussed on development of infra, road connectivity and communication,” he said.

“Besides, joint operations, deployment of forces, sharing of intelligence between different states and central agencies were also discussed during the meeting,” Singh added.

Officials of state police including DGP, and personnel of other central agencies like BSF, CRPF, and Intelligence Bureau were present during the meeting.