Centre, states should work together for better security: HDK

New Delhi, Sep 5 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today said his state should not be denied security-related expenses on the plea that naxalite activities there were not so intense and called for joint efforts by the Centre and states to contain the menace.

Speaking at the Chief Ministers meeting on Internal Security here, Mr Kumaraswamy said there were several schemes available to the states declared as ''severely naxal affected''.

Karnataka although was facing problems in 13 districts, it was not eligible for a share of funds under the security-related expenditure. ''We may not be facing the menace as intensely as some states, but complacency is dangerous,'' he said expressing satisfaction that the Centre was considering to include five districts of the state under the Backward District Initiatives.

He said to tackle the problem of naxalism and terrorism and communal disturbances, the state required two battalions of Rapid Action Force--one for north Karnataka and the other for coastal areas. These forces can be utilised by the state in times of need.

He sought the intervention of the Home Ministry for the state had proposed to bear 50 per cent of the cost of increasing the strength of the Government Railway Police (GRP) but the Railways were yet to give its concurrence.

The Chief Minister said any action on tackling security without going into the causes of social unrest would not be meaningful as the shortcomings of the system was sought to be exploited by the Maoists to gain support from the poor. Fortunately, in the state, land reforms was effectively implemented and uneqaul distribution was not an issue and the state had a effective panchayat system allowing the grassroots participation in the planning and implementation of developmental schemes.

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