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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated,...

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated, highlighting the dramatic turnaround. He revealed that from approximately 100 Maoist cadres on record in January 2024, the number has plummeted to barely 10 individuals whose movements are now confined to a very small pocket of the Bhamragad sub-division in South Gadchiroli, near the Chhattisgarh border. “North Gadchiroli is now free of Maoism. The Maoists have to surrender and join the mainstream or face police action... there is no other option.” The SP attributes this success to a meticulously executed multi-pronged strategy encompassing intensified anti-Maoist operations, a robust Civic Action Programme, and the effective utilisation of Maharashtra’s attractive surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy. The Gadchiroli Police, especially the elite C-60 commandos, have achieved significant operational milestones. In the last three years alone, they have neutralised 43 hardcore Maoists and achieved a 100 per cent success rate in operations without police casualties for nearly five years. SP Neelotpal highlighted that the security forces have aggressively moved to close the “security vacuum,” which was once an estimated 3,000 square kilometres of unpoliced territory used by Maoists for training and transit. The establishment of eight new police camps/Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) since January 2023, including in the remote Abujhmad foothills, has been crucial in securing these areas permanently. Winning Hearts, Minds The Civic Action Programme has been deemed a “game changer” by the SP. Through schemes like ‘Police Dadalora Khidaki’ and ‘Project Udaan’, the police have transformed remote outposts into service delivery centres, providing essential government services and employment opportunities. This sustained outreach has successfully countered Maoist propaganda and, most critically, resulted in zero Maoist recruitment from Gadchiroli for the last few years. Surrender Wave The state’s progressive rehabilitation policy has seen a massive influx of surrenders. “One sentiment is common among all the surrendered cadres: that the movement has ended, it has lost public support, and without public support, no movement can sustain,” the SP noted. The surrender of key figures, notably that of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias ‘Bhupathi,’ a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, and his wife Sangeeta, was a “landmark development” that triggered a surrender wave. Since June 2024, over 126 Maoists have surrendered. The rehabilitation program offers land, housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and employment. Surrendered cadres are receiving skill training and are successfully transitioning into normal life, with around 70 already employed in the local Lloyds plant. A District Reborn The transformation of Gadchiroli is now moving beyond security concerns. With the decline of extremism, the district is rapidly moving towards development and normalcy. The implementation of development schemes, round-the-clock electricity, water supply, mobile towers, and new infrastructure like roads and bridges is being given top priority. He concludes that the police’s focus is now shifting from an anti-Maoist offensive to routine law-and-order policing, addressing new challenges like industrialisation, theft, and traffic management. With the Maoist movement in “complete disarray” and major strongholds like the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zone collapsing, the SP is highly optimistic. Gadchiroli is not just getting rid of the Naxal menace; it is embracing its future as a developing, peaceful district, well on track to meet the central government’s goal of eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

Tourism Key to Growth

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Tourism

The Maharashtra government recently came out with a much anticipated comprehensive tourism policy. During the inception of this policy the government virtually gave a huge flip to the concept of ‘workcation’ alongside the promotion of rural life, films, caravans, and medical tourism. The policy, which aims to attract RS 100,000 crore in investment and generate 1.8 million jobs over the next decade. Drawing inspiration from the COVID-19 pandemic, when many embraced remote work in non-urban settings, the policy promoted the concept of ‘workcation’ — a blend of work and vacation. The concept emerged during the COVID-19 lockdown when people, especially from the IT sector, set up camp at vacation destinations while continuing to work for their respective organisations.


This new policy identifies key areas to boost tourism’s contribution to Maharashtra’s goal of becoming a Rs 1 trillion economy by 2028. It focuses on developing robust infrastructure and partnering with various stakeholders, including tour operators and MICE (meetings, incentives, conference, exhibition) organisers, to double revenue generation in their respective sectors. The policy categorises tourism projects into A, B, and C tiers based on size, offering incentives such as GST waivers, electricity rate concessions, and stamp duty reductions. It also proposes cash prizes for innovative products and revival of cultural and artistic customs.


This time around the thrust of the policy is on agriculture, caravan, and adventure tourism. Some of the projects will receive incentives including up to Rs 10 lakh for commendable research work. Rural development is a key focus, with plans to promote local culture, art, cuisine, and festivals. Rural tourism and homestays will be part of the promotion. Following the Mumbai Festival model, other key cities like Nagpur will organise their own festivals, in addition to plans for monsoon and Ganesh festivals to boost tourism.


Prior to this during the tenure of Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government then tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray mooted a new tourism policy. This particular policy came into existence in the post-pandemic era which concentrated on adventure sports. That policy included encouraging adventurous activities like hiking, trekking, cycling and others with emphasis on safety and security, and hence unscrupulous operators would not be permitted. However, these guidelines were not applicable to competitive expeditions or other jungle activities. This particular policy had a plan to showcase the rich natural offerings in the state for adventurous exploits of the brave and daring. The state had offered dense forests, mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, rivers, lakes, beaches on the coastal Konkan, etc, with immense potential for air, land and water adventure tourism activities which is not only a growing segment but much in demand globally.


The policy envisages providing special assistance to different organisations, associations and individuals engaged in or organising adventures sports and related activities, registration, regulation, strict monitoring, training, providing necessary infrastructure, and promotions.

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