Posted On : 17 Apr, 2018
Source : PTI
Place : Raipur
Naxalites being fought with roads, electricity: Chhattisgarh chief minister

Raman Singh
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has said development is the weapon being used against Naxalites, with the government providing villagers in the rebel-hit remote forests of Bastar with roads and electricity.The chief minister also said constructing roads in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh was the "toughest battle in the world".
"The biggest pain of the Naxalites is why we (the government) are building roads and electrifying the region," he told reporters here yesterday.
The outlawed rebels did not have faith in democracy and protested against every election, as well as development and the construction of roads in the region, Singh said.
The 'ladai' (battle) is about electrification and road construction as we build more roads worth Rs 800 crore in the region," he said.
The chief minister said the government's challenge was to build roads for the villagers as well protect those constructing them.
"We have dual challenges in the region - construction of roads and providing security to those constructing the roads," Singh said, adding by doing so it had developed villages.
Singh described as "routine" the Naxalite diktat to locals not to take part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's programme in Bijapur district's Jangala last week.
It is a routine thing. More than 40,000 people took part in the programme. This war (with the Naxals) is going on and I daily participate in various programmes even though I get threats from the ultras," he said.
To a query on how much of the troubled region in the state was under the control of the outlaws, he said the Naxalites believed they controlled over 20 per cent of Bijapur and Sukma districts.
But now anyone can travel in Dantewada even on scooters, he said, adding that with the construction of roads till Bhopalpatnam, he occasionally took motorcycle rides in areas which were earlier inaccessible.
Roads and electricity build confidence among the people, he said.
Endorsing Prime Minister Modi's comment that Naxal leaders are outsiders who stay safe and let the locals die, Singh said the leadership had a four-layer security cover with women and children on the outside periphery to prevent security forces from firing at them.
The Naxalites in Bastar also take the benefit of inter-state borders. They conduct an attack in Chhattisgarh and then flee to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh or Odisha and vice versa. It is a huge area - 40,000 sq km area - which is larger than Kerala," he said.
Chhattisgarh to challenge SC judgment on SC/ST Act: Raman Singh
The Chhattisgarh government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its order modifying certain provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Chief Minister Raman Singh said today.
Singh said his government had also revoked a police department circular for implementation of the Supreme Court order across the state.
The Supreme Court guidelines, which several Dalit groups claimed allegedly diluted the stringency of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, led to a nationwide shutdown on April 2.
Violence during the protests that day saw several people killed and scores injured.
"On March 20, Supreme Court had delivered a judgement on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The state government will file a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision," Singh told reporters.
"In this connection, the state's police headquarters had issued an order. That order stands cancelled with immediate effect," he said.
"The state government is affected by the judgement. In Chhattisgarh, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the honour of SCs and STs. The state government has always been sensitive towards them," he said.
"The state government is completely capable of protecting the interests of SCs and STs. Therefore, we took this decision immediately," he added.
Singh said his government would present its side strongly in the apex court.
On being asked about the lack of coordination between the state and the Centre, he said that his government got to know about the Centre's decision to file a review petition against the order yesterday.
"When we came to know about the stand of the Centre, we took a decision on the matter yesterday," he said.
He hit out at the opposition Congress claiming that the party was making grandiose statements on the issue but was doing nothing about it.
On April 6, the state's Additional Director General (Crime Investigation Department) RK Vij had issued a circular to all superintendents of police, asking them to strictly implement the top court's March 20 judgement.
The circular laid down that, as per the Supreme Court order, a public servant could be arrested under the SC/ST Act only after approval of the appointing authority while a private individual could be arrested following the senior superintendent of police's approval.
The Chhattisgarh government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its order modifying certain provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Chief Minister Raman Singh said today.
Singh said his government had also revoked a police department circular for implementation of the Supreme Court order across the state.
The Supreme Court guidelines, which several Dalit groups claimed allegedly diluted the stringency of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, led to a nationwide shutdown on April 2.
Violence during the protests that day saw several people killed and scores injured.
"On March 20, Supreme Court had delivered a judgement on the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The state government will file a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision," Singh told reporters.
"In this connection, the state's police headquarters had issued an order. That order stands cancelled with immediate effect," he said.
"The state government is affected by the judgement. In Chhattisgarh, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the honour of SCs and STs. The state government has always been sensitive towards them," he said.
"The state government is completely capable of protecting the interests of SCs and STs. Therefore, we took this decision immediately," he added.
Singh said his government would present its side strongly in the apex court.
On being asked about the lack of coordination between the state and the Centre, he said that his government got to know about the Centre's decision to file a review petition against the order yesterday.
"When we came to know about the stand of the Centre, we took a decision on the matter yesterday," he said.
He hit out at the opposition Congress claiming that the party was making grandiose statements on the issue but was doing nothing about it.
On April 6, the state's Additional Director General (Crime Investigation Department) RK Vij had issued a circular to all superintendents of police, asking them to strictly implement the top court's March 20 judgement.
The circular laid down that, as per the Supreme Court order, a public servant could be arrested under the SC/ST Act only after approval of the appointing authority while a private individual could be arrested following the senior superintendent of police's approval.
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