Tribals support the Maoists when they get harassed from different quarters of the Government. The ultras are creating hatred among the tribals against the State machinery by taking up the issues of Government apathy and officers’ raj. To counter the Maoists, the State should focus on development of tribals first,” said Odisha Krushak Mahasangh president Bibhudhendra Pratap Das in a Press release here.
Das said the tribal people get cheated at various Government offices and they become victims of corruption most of the times. Through administrative reforms, 80 per cent of corruption at the Government level could be checked and a corruption-free administration would bring development in the Maoist-affected districts, he observed.
He suggested that the Chief Minister convene a meeting inviting experienced political leaders, retired bureaucrats and senior journalists to discuss about reformation of law to speed up the development process by solving the conflicts in the tribal areas.
Das said the State Government should give power to the district Collectors to punish the corrupted officers. “If we punish the culprits from the grassroots level, the corrupt persons cannot go to the upper levels to do more corruptions,” said Das.