Maoist situation in 8 Odisha districts still challenging: Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said the Maoist situation in at least eight districts of the state continues to "remain challenging" even as there has been a substantial improvement in the situation in other districts.

In a written reply to Congress member Naba Kishore Das in the Assembly on Monday, Patnaik named the eight districts as Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Bolangir, Bargarh and Angul.

The chief minister told the Assembly that as many as 13 districts were hit by the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence since 2007 which included Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Jajpur and Dhenkanal.

However, Patnaik said the LWE situation in Gajapati, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Nuapada, Bodh, Nayagarh, Deogarh and Sundergarh was under control.

He said there have been no incidents of Maoist violence reported from Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Nabarangpur and Ganjam districts so far.

Patnaik, while making a statement in the Assembly on December 8, had said there was substantial improvement in the LWE scenario in the state.

"Improvement of police infrastructure, recruitment of armed personnel, specialised training and a progressive policy of surrender and rehabilitation have led to substantial improvement in the situation," Patnaik had said.

The state has, meanwhile, requested the Centre to send additional central forces to be deployed in areas prone to Maoist violence.