C’garh: Sai Says Only Half of Maoist Strongholds Remain To Be Taken Control of, Shah Hails C’garh’s Anti-Naxal Strategy

�Raipur: Chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Monday said that the state has made huge progress in tackling Leftwing extremism in Chhattisgarh and added that only half of Maoist strongholds in Bastar have remained to be taken control of by the security forces.

Addressing the meeting convened by Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi to review the security situation in the Naxal-affected states, Mr Shah said that security forces have made inroads deep into the core areas of Maoists in Bastar.

He said that 31 security camps have already been opened in Maoist strongholds in Bastar and 29 more such camps are going to be set up in Maoists’ core areas in the coming days.

“The primary goal of the state government is to eliminate the remaining Naxal strongholds and establish lasting peace and development in these areas. In the near future, 29 new security camps will be established in south Bastar to eradicate the influence of Naxals”, he said.

Mr Sai said that the state government has adopted a twin-strategy of police action and development in the Naxal-affected areas to tackle Maoism.

Giving a detailed briefing on the October four counterinsurgency operation in Abujhmad area of Narayanpur district in south Bastar in the state in which 31 Maoists, 16 of whom collectively carried bounty of Rs 1.30 crore, were killed, Mr Sai explained how state police and intelligence agencies executed the operation after months of planning and diligent efforts.

The state’s police force had executed the operation based on precise intelligence inputs.

Mr Sai not only focused on the operation’s success but also elaborated on the development initiative underway in the state.

“The pace of development works in Naxal-affected regions has been accelerated to ensure basic amenities to villages, with special emphasis on education, healthcare, and women’s empowerment”, he added.

Union home minister Mr Shah commended the successful counterinsurgency operation in Chhattisgarh and urged the chief ministers of other states to adopt Chhattisgarh’s model of intelligence, technology and inter-agency coordination in their respective operations, an official press release issued here said.