Bengal gov to step up dev activities to combat left wing extremism

Kolkata, June 12 (UNI) West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi today said the state government would step up developmental activities in three Maoist-affected districts to combat left wing extremism in the state.

Addressing the 14th state Assembly in its opening session, the Governor said activities of the left ultras in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts continued to pose problems to the state administration.

He said the CPI(Maoist) and their associates had resorted to an open violence in February-March this year.

''My government does not believe in combating extremism by counter-violence and has therefore laid importance on comprehensive socio-economic development programmes here which is mainly inhabited by people who are economically and socially backward,'' he said.

The Governor, however, said the unrest created by Kamtapur Liberation Organisation militants was on the wane and the state government has taken steps to rehabilitate the surrendered extremists of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts to bring them back to the mainstream.

Referring to the efforts for industrial rejuvination, Mr Gandhi said the state was on a steady growth path and one of the country's rapidly growing industrial regions in respect of private investments. '' Our state is second only to Maharashtra,'' he added.

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