Ch'garh to hold in-camera debate on Naxalism

Raipur, July 25: Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha will hold for the first time an 'in-camera' debate tomorrow to dicuss the growing naxalite problem and the strategies to be adopted to tackle it.

''Its an important discussion on the naxalite problem. The government is committed to implement on priority the suggestions evolved during the discussion,'' Chief Minister Raman Singh told UNI.

During the ongoing session, Speaker Prem Prakash Pandey had announced holding of a day-long in-camera discussion on naxalite problem on July 26.

Neither media nor visitors would be present in the House during the discussion. The proceedings will not be recorded.

Chief Secretary Shivraj Singh, Home Secretary S V Prabhat and Director General of Police Vishwaranjan will be present in the House during the debate.

The decision to hold an 'in-camera' discussion on the Maoist menace came after the opposition parties pressed for a debate during the ongoing monsoon session on the recent incident of rebel attack in which 24 security personnel were killed near Errabore in tribal Bastar.

Home minister Ram Vichar Netam had stated in the House that the government was not in a position to discuss about strategies to tackle naxalite problem in an open house, because of obvious reasons.

Subsequently, it was decided to hold an in-camera sitting where the legislators could openly express their views and put forward suggestions to deal with the Naxalite problem.

Communist Party of India (Maoist), which have their presence in about 12 out of 18 districts of the state, had stepped up violence two years ago, particularly after the local tribals launched 'Salwa Judum', an anti-naxalite campaign, in tribal Bastar region.

UNI