17-layer security cover for PM Narendra Modi's first trip to Maoist zone on May 9

Raipur: A 17-layer security will cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he will address a public meeting at the district headquarters town of Dantewada in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-infested south Bastar region, scheduled on May 9, police sources said on Monday.

The 17-layer security arrangement will keep a vigil on the ten square kilometre area surrounding Dantewada High School, the venue of the proposed public meeting, a senior police officer posted in Bastar told this newspaper.

“The area surrounding the public meeting venue has already been taken over by security forces. All the tribal weekly markets in the area have been closed down till Prime Minister rounded up his tour to Bastar. The habitations on the both sides of the PM’s route have been kept under strict surveillance by the Intelligence Bureau and State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) to keep a vigil on possible infiltration of Maoists in the area”, the police officer dealing with security arrangements in Bastar said. The PM was schedule address the public from a bullet proof podium.

“Nearly 10,000 CRPF troopers will be deployed on the occasion. Besides, a special task force, the anti-Naxal wing of the Chhattisgarh police and state police personnel will also be involved in the security arrangement”, another senior police officer said.

The CRPF director general made a two-day visit to Bastar last week to oversee security arrangements for PM’s visit to Dantewada.

In order to fuel the development process in tribal-dominated Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, an MoU for two mega projects will be inked during Modi's visit.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will gift two major projects to tribal-dominated Bastar region during his visit to Chhattisgarh on May 9," an official statement issued here said.

The two projects are - one of setting up of an ultra-mega steel plant at village Dilmili in naxal-sensitive Dantewada and another, extension of second phase of Rowghat-Jagdalpur 140 km railway line.

Both the projects will come up in insurgency-hit areas and the state government officials claim the projects would accelerate the pace of development in vastly-populated tribal regions.

The total investment on the two major projects will be around Rs 24,000 crore and it would help in a rapid socio-economic transformation of sprawling Bastar, it said.

Dallirajhara-Rowghat-Jagdalpur broad-gauge railway project will cover a length of 235 km.

The laying of railway line of 95 km in the first phase from Dallirajhara to Rowghat is currently underway at a rapid pace.

An MoU on the second phase Rowghat-Jagdalpur line was signed earlier but it was shelved due to lack of funds.

Now, the Centre has given consent to the state's proposal to lay the railway line through SPV (special purpose vehicle) and a fresh MoU will be inked on May 9, the statement said.

Modi is also scheduled to meet tribal students of education city set up in the village of Jawanga and the livelihood college during his visit to Dantewada, before addressing the scheduled public meeting.

Later, he is scheduled to attend three programmes in Naya Raipur, the new capital of Chhattisgarh before winding up his one-day tour to the state.