Naveen Seeks Banking, Telecom And Railway Connectivity For Maoist-Hit Districts

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday asked the Centre to improve banking and telecommunication services in Maoist-affected districts and provide railway connectivity to the Left-wing Extremism (LWE)-hit districts of Malkangiri and Nabarangpur. He placed the demands at a review meeting on LWE with Union minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

“Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts should get railway connectivity. Banking facilities and telecommunication services should be improved in all Maoist-affected areas. I hope the Centre complies with these demands,” Naveen said after the meeting.

Sources said Odisha’s other demands included more central funds for roads, schools and hospitals in Maoist-affected areas. The state government also sought more funds to enhance security and surveillance in the sensitive regions. “We also sought deployment of at least one battalion of central forces in the Maoist-affected districts and a chopper for emergencies. The forest-dwellers in LWE-hit areas should be given land and other benefits to help them survive. Communication and infrastructure development holds the key to tackling LWE,” said minister of state for home, Dibya Shankar Mishra, who also attended the meeting with Shah.

While half of the state’s 30 districts are officially affected by LWE, rebels activities were not been reported from Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Jajpur and Dhenkanal in 2018. Out of the state’s 6,789 gram panchayats, over 4,000 — mostly located in Maoist-affected districts — do not have banking facilities. Of the 8,000 villages that do not have telecommunication services, at least 6,000 villages are located in LWE-affected districts. The state has around 50,000 villages.

Official sources also said the services of 248 mobile towers set up by the BSNL in the Maoist-affected districts are of poor quality.

Data released by the state government in its White Paper-2018 said LWE was under control in the state though the situation in Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Kandhamal districts continued to challenge police.

According to the White Paper, 54 LWE incidents were reported in the state in 2018 in which 19 Maoists were killed, 39 arrested and 27 surrendered. Police seized 40 firearms, a huge cache of bullets and 24 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during anti-Maoist operations in different districts last year.―Times of India