UP mounts efforts to curb naxalites

Lucknow, Mar 20 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today asserted that the state government has mounted efforts to check the menace of Naxalism in UP.

The Chief Mminister claimed that in an effort to check the growing menace of Naxals in UP, the anti-Naxal campaign has been strenghtened by initialising picketing, combing operations and patrolling in the affected areas.

He made these remarks in a written reply to a question by BJP's Harishchandra Srivastava in the state assembly.

''The arrangements of elaborate security have been made at police lines and jails in the Naxalite hit belts of the state,'' Mr Yadav said, adding, that senior officials were constantly touring such areas and overseeing security drills by security forces.

The officials of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and state intelligence units were exchanging information at inter-state level to avoid any eventuality. ''We have also formed an anti-Naxalite cell to be headed by IG (Varanasi zone). The cell has men drawn from intelligence units while a quick reaction team (QRT) has also been formed,'' he said.

An order has also been passed to raise a new India Reserve (IR) Battalion which would be deployed in Sonebhadra district. Meanwhile, one mine-proof vehicle each has been provided to Chandauli, Sonebhadra and Mirzapur districts and 38 bullet-proof Gypsies were also being procured for these districts.

''Locals are being prepared to fight off Naxalites in their areas,'' he added. Mr Srivastava had asked about the steps the UP government had taken after the Jehanabad (Bihar) jail seize by naxalites recently.

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