Maharashtra close to becoming ‘naxalism-free’, says Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said Maharashtra is on the brink of becoming ldquoNaxalismfreerdquo crediting the statersquos progress to sustained police action and developmentfocused policiesSpeaking at a review meeting of the statelevel committee formed under the National Plan and Action Framework Fadnavis noted that the Central government has set a nationwide target to eliminate Naxalism by 2026 and Maharashtra is ldquoa step aheadrdquo in meeting that goalChairing the meeting at Vidhan Bhavanrsquos Council Hall the Chief Minister emphasised the need to establish police outposts in the most remote formerly Naxaldominated areas and to ensure they are staffed adequately and equipped with essential facilities Once an area is secured he said the government must follow up with welfare initiatives to integrate residents into the mainstreamFadnavis directed officials to organise programmes around newly established outposts to expand the reach of government schemes create employment opportunities for local youth support cultural activities and boost the sale of local products by developing market accessHe added that the increase in the surrender of wanted Naxalites in recent years reflects the success of persistent police outreach The Chief Minister instructed officials to expedite the pending Rs 1crore reward for the Gadchiroli police who played a key role in facilitating the surrender of several hardcore Naxalites He also called for timely promotions for officers who have contributed significantly to dismantling Naxal networksFadnavis further announced that construction of a new Superintendent of Police office building in Gadchiroli would begin soon with funds to be made available immediately Processes for procuring 33 new police vehicles should also be completed at the earliest he saidThe meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal Additional Chief Secretaries OP Gupta Finance Manisha Mhaiskar Public Works and Milind Mhaiskar Forest Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla Principal Secretary Home Anup Kumar Singh Additional DGP Special Shiring Dorje CRPF Additional DG Ajay Sharma and other senior officers DIG Ankit Goyal delivered a detailed presentationSymbolic pushback against naxalismOfficials highlighted a powerful symbol of the statersquos gains against Naxal influence a police outpost has now been established at Laheri in Bhamragad taluka mdash the same site where Naxalites had celebrated after killing 17 police personnel during a 2009 attack The new outpost they said has strengthened local confidence in law enforcement and stands as evidence of the weakening Naxal presenceDevelopment as a counterinsurgency toolThe state is also ramping up infrastructure development in Gadchiroli district as part of its longterm antiNaxal strategy A 173km road connecting Dhodraj Nilgunda and Kavande is set to be constructed along with bridges over the Korma stream and at Bedre extending connectivity up to Bijapur Another 750metre bridge over the Indravati River on the DamarachandashSandra route is also plannedTelecom connectivity mdash long identified as crucial for security operations and economic integration mdash has seen a major boost in the district While Gadchiroli had 271 mobile towers in 2022 an additional 521 towers have been installed between 2023 and 2025 officials said