The Centre released a total sum of Rs75.20 crore during 2010-2013 for a scheme to fortify police stations in the left Wing Extremism (lWE) pockets of Chhattisgarh as per the statistics available with the Union Home Ministry.Under the scheme, a total of 400 police stations and outposts are to be constructed in the 10 lWE affected States at the rate of Rs2 crore per police station.
Eighty per cent of the cost of the project is being met by the Centre and 20 per cent by the concerned State. Odisha received sum of Rs112 crore while Jharkhand received Rs97.50 crore.As many as 259 battalions of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are currently deployed in Chhattisgarh’s lWE affected regions.
The deployment in other States are as follows — Andhra Pradesh (16), Telangana (12), Bihar (57), Chhattisagrh (259), Jharkhand (144), MP (8), Maharashtra (34), Odisha (102), UP (6), West Bengal (53). Presently, a total of 691 battalions of CAPFs are deployed in lWE areas across the country.
Deployment of CAPFs is a dynamic process and keeps on changing from time to time depending upon the requirements projected by the State as well as demands of other lWE affected states, availability of force and security situation in the particular State. This was stated by MoS for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
A total of 106 districts in the States are considered as left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected. Of these, Bihar has maximum 22 districts, followed by Jharkhand (21), Odisha(19), Chhattisgarh (16), AP and Telangana — both 8 each, West Bengal and Maharashtra — both 4 each, Uttar Pradesh,- 3 and Madhya Pradesh, one.
It is clear that number of districts which witnessed some form of lWEactivities have been decreasing, it was informed in the Rajya Sabha. Also the numbers of incidents of lWE violence and resultant deaths have declined during the last four years from 2011 to 2014.
The Centre has revised the guidelines for ‘Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme of left Wing Extremists in the affected States’ with effect from April 1, 2013.As per the revised policy, the Centre provides reimbursement of expenditure incurred on an immediate grant for surrendered lWE cadres subject to a ceiling of Rs. 2.5 lakh for higher ranked lWE cadres and Rs. 1.5 lakh for middle/lower ranked lWE cadres.
The additional incentives given for surrendering of weapons/ ammunition has also been reimbursed which ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 35,000 per weapon depending on type of weapon surrendered from detonator to light Machine Gun, Rocket launcher etc.
The revised policy envisages formation of the Screening-cum-Rehabilitation Committees by the State Governments which are involved in the process of identification and rehabilitation of surrendered lWE cadres.This was stated by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary in a written reply to a question by Sasikala Pushpa earlier in the Rajya Sabha .
The Central government has approved a revised cost of Rs3,045 crore under its Road Requirement Plan (RRP) for improvement of road connectivity in left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected areas of Chhattisgarh.In the State, the fund had been approved for improvement of road connectivity in left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected areas measuring 2,019 kms.
last year, the Centre had also simplified the procedure for offering general approval under Section-2 of Central Forest Conservation Act 1980, keeping in view the need of infrastructural development for public utility.This implied that general approval for construction of roads on forest land in a total of ten left Wing Extremism (lWE) affected districts of Chhattisgarh will now be granted easily, official informed here.
As per the simplified procedure, the general approval for construction of two-lane highways on forest land will be given by State Government itself.
In this context, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had issued a circular to Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of all the departments and also to the Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors.According to the officials, simplification of clearance procedure will largely benefit the areas of 10 lWE affected districts of the State, by expediting construction of roads in Chhattisgarh and connecting it to mainstream development.
The 10 lWE affected districts include Bastar (Jagdalpur),Bijapur, Dantewada,Kanker, Narayanpur,Jashpur, Kabeerdham (Kawardha), Rajnandgaon, Koriya and Surguja. This simplified procedure will also be applicable in the new districts, which have been formed by reorganizing the aforementioned old districts.
The BSNl has set a target of installing 146 mobile towers during the first phase in insurgency infested regions of Chhattisgarh. The towers would be installed to improve telephone connectivity of insurgency infested areas.It was also informed in the meeting that during the current financial year 2014-15, around 80 towers will be erected by the month of March, out of which 40 will start operating soon after. By the month of June, 2015, 120 out of 146 mobile towers will be set up.
The remaining 26 towers will be installed by the end of August this year.BSNl has been instructed to ensure availability spare batteries for mobile towers, so that the used up batteries may be replaced by new ones immediately, the meeting was informed.