Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, who has announced a Rs. 110 crore development plan for Odisha’s Maoist affected Nuapada district, has urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik to properly secure the area before the implementation of the plan.
Ramesh visited Nuapada to unveil the Saranda Development Plan on February 16. In a letter to Patnaik, two days later, he said that the Union rural development ministry had effectively implemented a similar plan in Saranda forest area of Jharkhand after security situation in the area was first ensured through major operations.
“Sunabeda (forest) area (of Nuapada) also requires a similar major security operation to secure the area fully. Therefore, security camps will have to be established in and around Sunabeda. Only then can the development plan be implemented effectively,” Ramesh said.
The Sunabeda Development Plan covering 12 gram panchayats in Sunabeda forest area, a stronghold of Maoists, comprises construction of roads, watershed projects, housing and livelihood support for poor.