Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh: Creating awareness and educating people a major solution in fight against Naxals

Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh: Deciding how far villagers should be brought out into open conflict with Naxalites was a “highly sensitive issue”

Reacting to statements by local leaders suggesting an attempt to revive the controversial Salwa Judum movement under a different garb, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh told The Indian Express that deciding how far villagers should be brought out into open conflict with Naxalites was a “highly sensitive issue”. If villagers, alongside security forces, were to tackle Naxalites head-on in the open, he would have to “ensure they are protected,” Singh said.

Days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit Saturday to the Bastar region, Chhavindra Karma, the son of deceased Congress leader Mahendra Karma — who spearheaded the Salwa Judum movement, and was killed with other Congress leaders in an attack by Maoists in Bastar in May 2013 – issued a public statement about launching a people’s awareness campaign against Maoists. For the revival of a ‘jan jagaran abhiyan’, the Vikas Sangharsh Samiti in Dantewada has called a public meeting on May 25, the second death anniversary of Mahendra. Maoists have threatened a violent reprisal to any attempts at reviving Salwa Judum.

“When it began, Salwa Judum was not brought in from outside. It was a people’s movement, a jan andolan. With regard to what people are saying today, I feel — on the issue of garnering consent amongst people, preparing them, and creating a certain atmosphere – there should be awareness created amongst the people. If we stand up against Naxalites on the roads and bring villagers along, I have to ensure they are protected. How far we should bring villagers ahead in the fight against Naxalites is a highly sensitive issue. Creating awareness amongst people and educating them is a major solution,” Singh told The Indian Express.

Stating that as Chief Minister, he never had a moment of doubt on whether the Naxal problem could be resolved, Singh said the state government was working slowly and steadily to counter it. “It took 40,000 jawans as long as 12 years to hunt down Veerappan. Here there are 1,000 Veerappans,” Singh said. Referring to the Gangaloor-Bijapur road, he said, “This is the world’s costliest road in the sense that 10 jawans were martyed and there were 16 blasts while it was being built”

“The Army will never be deployed to tackle the Naxalite problem, as the Constitution does not allow deployment against our own people, and neither does my heart. For the sake of argument, if the army is deployed, the issue can be solved in four hours. But this should never happen,”Singh said.

Singh said his most pressing demand to the Centre for anti-Naxalite operations was acquisition of state-of-the-art IED detection equipment, as IEDs accounted for 90 per cent of total casualties.

Arguing that “One size does not fit all”, Singh said that the state’s share of funds from the Centre has risen from 32 per cent to 42 per cent with higher devolution, but local factors in Chhattisgarh ensure higher development costs for implementation of projects in the state.

“here is no need for Government of India to give tight funds linked with schemes, as one size does not fill all. There is a massive difference between a scheme implemented in Punjab or Haryana and its implementation in Chhattisgarh. Development costs are much higher here. Funds should not be released on the basis of population either, but factors like the area involved and the forest cover preserved should be seen. Indicators such as railway connectivity and irrigation network, which are below the national average, should be considered,” said Singh.

On the issue of green clearances holding up development in the state, the CM said urged the Centre to issue one-time clearances for linear development projects such as dams, railway lines or roads.”If you require hectare-by-hectare permissions, you won’t be able to progress for 30 years to build a 1,000 km road. Neither are you ever going to get 100 per cent consent from the people at one go if a dam is to be constructed. At least for development projects, clearances are beginning to come faster,” he said.

Singh slammed the UPA regime for citing environmental concerns and preservation of tribal culture as excuses to stall development in Naxalite-affected areas. Policy decisions were taken ignoring the “Ameer dharti ke gareeb log (poor people of a rich land),” he said.

“This was the biggest problem. Abujhmad was cut off from the rest of the world, and the people left to themselves. You can’t send it back to the 20th century. Since the time of Todaramal and the British, not a single survey was conducted here. To keep tribal culture alive, you have to first keep tribals alive there,” Singh said.

Commenting on MNREGA, Singh said,”Along with digging of earth, there should also be creation of permanent assets created in villages for irrigation and other infrastructure, and future sources of employment should also be created.”

Singh rubbished criticism that the Modi government had not been able to deliver much in its first year. “The district development fund in the new mining policy will take us 50 years ahead. Royalty from coal block allocations through auctioning is also a great move. The decisions being taken can change the direction of the country. What hasn’t been done in 50 years is being done in one year,” he said.

Source:: Indian Express