Maharashtra's response to Maoist menace

 

Dear friends, 
I am starting this new thread of articles on Maoist/Naxalite/LWE menace. I have been writing on this subject for past 10 years. I sincerely hope that you like the thread and its content.


19-05-2011
 
Govt’s response to Maoist menace: 
Well conceived but poorly executed

By Kartik Lokhande
It is well over 30 years since the first incident of Red Ultras entering Maharashtra, and situation on ground has just developed from bad to worse, thanks to the Government’s well conceived but poorly executed response. As a result, more than 650 lives are lost and a changed Red Ultras have become successful in penetrating urban areas while holding forest grounds.
Take, for example, the case of Anti-Naxalite Operation (ANO) headquarter at Nagpur. Though it was conceived to serve as Operations and Intelligence base to counter Naxalite threat in Maharashtra; till recent past there were talks of it being wound up. At inception, it was headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police (IG). In course of time, the post of ANO head was upgraded to the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADG). However, now the post is downgraded to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officer.
Throughout, whether the post was to be upgraded or downgraded was decided merely by the rank of officer available for the job. The fact that the decision was not governed by a conceived policy, speaks volumes about the Government’s response to the menace. If this is the position regarding ANO head, it is better not talk of filling up of posts of Superintendents of Police for Operations and Intelligence purposes. At present, ANO has one post of Superintendent of Police who looks after Special Action Group (SAG).
Vacancies have been ailing Naxalite-affected districts of Gadchiroli, Gondia, Chandrapur, and Bhandara apart from ANO at Nagpur. However, the dignitaries who took charge as Chief Minister to Additional Chief Secretary (Home), could not do much than to assure that posts would be filled up soon. When the posts could not be filled up, as the officers or personnel used their ‘goodwill’ among politicians to cancel their transfers to above-mentioned places, the Government issued ‘strict warnings’ or offered incentives to officers and personnel working there. However, there are no instances when the Government’s ‘strict warnings’ were implemented.
As for incentives and creation (or, shall one say re-deployment of existing workforce), poor execution was again the salient feature. In the recent past, SAG was constituted by way of selecting 300 officers and personnel from existing workforce for specialised training. They were offered incentives over and above the prescribed salary. Alas! Confusion reigned supreme and though the Home Department gave a green signal to incentives, Finance Department raised questions. According to reliable sources, an officer is yet to get incentive amount though he is transferred from SAG long back. Reason? Lack of coordination between Home Department and Finance Department regarding grant of incentives.
Doesn’t it indicate complete absence of harmony within the Government while taking a policy decision? It sure does. Here is another example on similar lines. The then Home Minister Jayant Patil had announced in Legislative Assembly to carve out Aheri Police District from Gadchiroli. However, creation of Aheri Police District is opposed by Revenue, Forest, and Finance Departments. The ambitious Alpha Hawks Academy is yet to see light of the day. As a result, the force fighting the Naxalites actually has got no base where it can get special training.
One would be shocked to know that SAG personnel were till recently fighting with dreaded Maoists with 25 borrowed AK-47 at their disposal! After much efforts, the Government finally yielded to the demands of the situation and has recently given 130 AK-47 to SAG. Further, owing to delay of two years or more in supply of required material, the officers involved in operations have actually refused to place demand for new equipments.
There was a policy decision of the Government, which was announced several times, to grant transfer at a place of choice to officers or personnel who completed their prescribed tenure in Naxal-affected areas. However, many officers and personnel either took voluntary retirement or are working in Naxal-affected areas. SAG itself has a large number of personnel who have completed their prescribed tenure but have not been transferred, leave alone being transferred to place of their choice.
May it be implementation of Surrender Policy for Naxal cadres or carrying out effective development activities on ground in core areas, everywhere the response was either knee-jerk or impracticable. Recently, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had blasted administrative machinery for making a presentation on all impracticable projects. State Government did not keep its promise of making Naxal-affected areas free of load-shedding, because it was unable to make a provision of Rs 64 crore for the purpose. Compared to the State’s approved plan size of Rs 42,000 crore, Rs 64 crore is a paltry sum. Still, the State could not do it so far. On the other hand, the same Government is talking of e-governance projects that require uninterrupted power supply as well as Internet connectivity. When there are not even telephone towers in many parts, how much practicable is the idea of launching Internet-dependent projects remains a big question.
The most interesting aspect is that Gadchiroli, which is among the districts worst-affected by Maoist menace, has got the dubious distinction of its district headquarters having no rail connectivity. The district has got rail connectivity of only over 18 kms, when it’s spread well over 400 kms. The State Government has apparently failed in all these long years to convince Railway Ministry to come up with rail connectivity expansion programme here. Regarding industrial development, Gadchiroli has advantage of good roads, but the Government has not been able to remove the fear of sabotage from the minds of investors.
Coming to urban areas, the Government tended to ignore Maoist penetration into urban Intelligentsia and Dalit strongholds for a long time. It forgot that the Naxalite movement took its roots in Maharashtra in its capital Mumbai way back in late 1979. It tried to focus on areas with violent action, but in the process ignored to check urban spread of the destructive anti-national ideology. More recently, after arrests of prominent Maoist leaders from Mumbai, Pune, and other major urban centres, though the Government appears to have woken up to the threat; it has failed to send a clear message through its actions.
As such, while the Maoist leaders continue to operate in urban areas through frontal organisations, the proposal to amend Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) to incorporate definitions of Naxalites and frontal organisations is gathering dust in one of those countless files at higher levels of administration. Similar is the case with well-intentioned decision of having a Naxal Cell in each district. However, on ground, wherever there are ‘functional’ Naxal Cells, there is no expertise or information network. Where there is information network, there is no support.
One can go on quoting several such policy initiatives that have been conceived well but executed poorly. However, now is the time when the Government must wake up to the need of the hour and effect development where it is needed and come up with a well-defined and well-synchronised response with a long term vision for proper execution. Understanding the crux of problems mentioned above can also help the Government in formulating its response for future.