Red alert sounded in Maharashtra, security stepped up in naxal-infested districts

Maharashtra's Gadchiroli and Gondia districts are naxal-infested districts where in last five years more than 20 naxal attacks took place

The Maharashtra government has sounded an alert through the state following the Naxal attack in Bastar district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh. Home Minister R R Patil called a review meeting, while a committee of senior bureaucrats monitored the situation and issued instructions for additional deployment of security personnel. Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli and Gondia districts, bordering Chhattisgarh, are Naxal-impacted.

“We are absolutely prepared. There is a review mechanism in place wherein a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary takes a review in Gadchiroli and Gondia districts. The government also pursues a development approach wherein the status of ongoing projects in these districts is checked and their implementation is expedited. The budgetary allocation in the Naxal-affected districts is of the order of Rs 300 crore,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Amitabh Rajan said.

Rajan informed that on the last day of every month, he personally visits Gadchiroli along with the additional director general of police (law and order) and inspector general of police (anti naxal activities) to take stock of the situation.

Rajan said that currently, there were about 10,000 security personnel deployed in the naxal-affected districts in the state.

“Immediately after Saturday night's naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, the chief secretary and additional chief secretary issued necessary instructions to the state level machinery and subsequently further instructions were issued by the additional chief secretary (law and order) especially to the district level authorities to step up vigil,” said another government official.

The official informed that the economic resources of the naxals are being targeted to ensure that the ultras did not benefit from forest produce.