Security being beefed up to fight naxal violence: CM

The Orissa government has taken a number of medium and long term measures to fight the menace of naxal violence in the state which includes massive capacity build up and creation of dedicated intelligence and operational units. The measures included raising the Special Operation Group (SOG), 5 special security battalions, 5 India Reserve battalions and Orissa Special Striking Force. “We are not content with the action of the police. We are taking many medium and long term measures to control the situation through out the state, which will start yielding results in the months to come”, the chief minister Naveen Patnaik told the state Assembly.

Responding to an adjournment motion on Maoist menace in the state Assembly, Patnaik said, 159 naxal activists were arrested and 17 militants were neutralised during the last one and half years. Similarly, 803 weapons and large quantity of explosives were recovered from the red ultras during this time.

Maoist militancy in Sambalpur-Deogarh-Sundergarh zone has been substantially contained due to effective security measures. The CPI (ML)- Janashakti activists, who carried out few acts of violence in the contiguous axis of Keonjhar, Jajpur and Dhenkanal in 2006-07, have also been contained and its chief Anna Reddy arrested.

Rejecting the allegations of the leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh, the chief minister said, there is least pressure on bureaucracy by the political masters.