Odisha govt prepares blueprint to counter Maoist menace

Bhubaneswar: Taking note of the rise in Maoist activities in Odisha in recent times, the state government on Wednesday prepared a blueprint to counter left wing extremism (LWE) in the state.

The bluepirnt was discussed and given finishing touches at the Unified Command meeting here today. The meeting, presided over by chief secretary AP Padhi at the State Secretariat, laid emphasis on proper coordination between the State Police and the Central para-military forces.

At present, 16 battalions of Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel are deployed in the Maoist prone districts of the state.

Considering the rise in Maoist activities in Angul and Mayurbhanj districts, the meeting discussed measures to counter the left wing ultras.

The meeting also formulated strategies to counter the subversive activities of the Red Rebels, who had recently blown up two mobile towers and triggered landmine blasts killing two BSF personnel, in the undivided Koraput district.

The meeting also decided to seek the opinion of senior BSF and CRPF officials on shifting of forces from their present place of deployment to other places.

The meeting also laid emphasis on developmental work in Maoist prone areas.

Director General of Police (DGP) KB Singh and senior officials of the State Police, Intelligence wing, BSF and CRPF were present at the meeting.

This was the first Unified Command meeting for the chief secretary and the DGP after taking charge of their new assignments on November 30 and November 8 last year respectively.