Committed Force to check naxal menace in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Jul 02 (UNI) Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said the government will consider raising a Committed Force to check growing naxalite activities in the state.

Replying to a question of BJD member Pratap Keshari Dev in the Assembly, Mr Patnaik said the Hota committee had recommended to the state government modernisation of the police and a Committed Force to counter the menace.

The government,he said, was actively examining suggestion of the Hota Committee and would take appropriate steps soon. He said the government had already raised a Special Operation Group(SOG) in the state to tackle naxalite activities.

The SOG jawans, he said, had been provided with greyhound training and deployed in the sensitive and naxalite dominated areas to counter the left wing ultras.

On the demand for a separate Police Academy, the chief minister said the state had already set up the Biju Patnaik Police Academy to give training to police officers. He, however, informed the House that the government would consider establishing a police academy on the lines of the National Defence Academy.

The chief minister said the bill for the introduction of the Police Commissioner system for the twin city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar had already been adopted and sent to the Union Home Ministry for consideration.He ruled out the possibility of creation of separate police district for Bhubaneswar which was presently under the jurisdiction of Khurda police district.

On the modernisation of police force in the state, Mr Patnaik said Orissa had spent almost 90 per cent of the money earmarked for the modernisation of police force.

UNI