Naveen seeks Rs 1,620 crore for road projects in Red districts

To implement 47 road projects covering a network of 864.22 km in nine districts of Odisha affected by Left Wing Extremism

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sought early release of Rs 1,620.10 crore for implementing 47 road projects covering a network of 864.22 km in nine districts of Odisha affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).

During his meeting with the Union home minister Rajnath Singh, Patnaik impressed upon the need to expedite approval and release of funds for these projects.

Singh said, the ministry is in the process of firming up the proposals received from different states and further action will be taken after seeking approval of the Union Cabinet.

To strengthen mobile connectivity in Naxal infested regions, Patnaik urged Singh to pursue the matter with the department of telecommunications and sanction additional funds to install the required mobile towers in the Naxal infested areas to contain the ultras' activities in the state.

Stressing on adequate deployment of security forces on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border to combat Naxal menace, Patnaik said, there is an urgent need to augment deployment of forces in Nuapada and Malkangiri districts to sustain anti-Naxal operations. He impressed upon the Union minister to deploy at least one more battalion of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) on the Odisha side of Chhatisgarh border.

Patnaik said, the eight-seater helicopter provided by the Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd (PHHL) at present for anti-Naxal operation has limited operational utility and demanded two dedicated military helicopters, one each at Bhubaneswar and Koraput, to act as a force multiplier and aid emergency evacuation.

Patnaik also raised the issue of cost for deployment of CAPF in anti-Naxal operations, which is shown as outstanding against the state.

"The Odisha government has created, trained and deployed over 30,000 police personnel by incurring substantial expenditure from the state's resources to contain Naxal menace. Containment of LWE is a collective responsibility of the Union and the states and accordingly, the Union Government should reconsider their existing policy and bear the entire cost of deployment of CAPF for anti-Naxal operations," he said.

Patnaik pointed out that an amount of Rs 172 crore for the period from 2005-06 to 2013-14 is still pending for release to the state under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme.

Though work on construction of Gurupriya Bridge to connect cut off areas of Malkangiri to the main land is progressing fast, the chief minister maintained that the Government of India has, however, released only Rs 45 crore till date against the approved cost of Rs 187.25 crore. The balance amount needed for completion of this critical bridge needs to be released swiftly, he stressed.

The Union government should take up the matter with Andhra Pradesh regarding early construction of Motu bridge across the Sileru river on Ranchi-Vijaywada highway connecting Malkangiri district with Andhra Pradesh as this is of vital importance for anti-Naxal operations, he stated.