Amit Shah to visit Chhattisgarh on December 14-16; to interact with surrendered Naxals

New Delhi, Dec 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Chhattisgarh for three days beginning December 14 during which he will review the law and order situation in the state and interact with surrendered Naxals and locals, sources said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai met Shah here and conveyed that the state's Bastar and Kondagaon districts, once infested by the Naxals, were completely free from the extremists and operations were on to wipe them out from other areas.

The Union home minister will be on a visit to Chhattisgarh from December 14-16 during which he will chair a security review meeting in Raipur, the sources said.

Shah will also present President's Colour award to the Chhattisgarh Police at Raipur. He will also travel to Jagdalpur, where he will hold interaction with surrendered Naxals, locals and intellectuals, they said.

He will also attend the closing ceremony of the Bastar olympics and pay tributes to martyrs in Jagdalpur besides meeting the families of the victims of the Left-Wing Extremism.

Shah will visit security camps and oversee developmental works besides having lunch with jawans of security forces there.

During Wednesday's meeting, the Chhattisgarh chief minister briefed the Union home minister on the state's recent achievements in anti-Naxal operations and ongoing development initiatives in the Bastar region.

According to an official release, the chief minister has conveyed that joint efforts by the state government and security forces have led to the elimination of Maoist networks and their various wings in these districts.

No Naxal-related incidents have been reported in the Naxal-free areas for a long time, Sai said.

He further said the success is not only due to the sustained operations of the security forces but also due to the developmental projects such as roads, schools, healthcare facilities, and employment initiatives that have gained the trust of locals.

He said operations in other Naxal-affected districts are on, with a goal to make them Naxal-free soon.

The state government is also prioritising the rehabilitation of surrendered Maoists and families affected by Naxal violence, he said.