OST Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Sep 14: The Union home ministry has convened a meeting of chief secretaries and director generals of police (DGPs) of nine Maoist-hit states including Odisha at New Delhi on September 25 to discuss the anti-Maoist strategies.

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The meeting would be presided over by Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

From Odisha, chief secretary JK Mohapatra, DGP Prakash Mishra and principal secretary, home, Vipin Kumar Saxena would attend the meeting.

Official sources said while the Maoist menace has been brought under control in 10 districts like Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Deogarh, the red rebels continue to exert their influence in nine other districts including Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nuapada, Balangir, Bargarh, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur.

Sources in the state police said the Maoist cadres of these states have infiltrated into the Odisha border and are trying to consolidate their position in southern and western Odisha districts.

Since deployment of forces in these areas is inadequate, Odisha requires two additional battalions of Central forces to carry out anti-Maoist operation successfully, sources said.

While Odisha has taken an Mi-172 helicopter on hire from the Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited for use in the Maoist-hit districts, it needs a dedicated military helicopter during the operations against the left wing ultras, said a senior official of the state home department.

Though the Centre has included the 19 districts of Odisha under the Centrally-sponsored Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, an amount of Rs 191.75 crore spent over the period from 2005-06 to 2012-13 is yet to be reimbursed under the scheme, he said.