Gadchiroli : As many as 11 Naxalites (Maoists), including Vimla Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, surrendered before the police in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli on Wednesday.
As many as 8 women Maoists were part of the group who laid down weapons at Gadchiroli Police Headquarters on Wednesday, January 1. They had bounties totaling more than Rs 1 crore on their heads. Chhattisgarh government had also announced a bounty on them.
Among the surrendered was Tarakka Sidam, the head of the Dandakaranya Zonal Committee and wife of Bhupati, who had been involved in Naxalism for 34 years. The surrendered Maoists included three division committee members, one deputy commander, and two area committee members. Each of them was provided with a financial aid package worth Rs 86 lakh to support their new lives.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present during the surrender, expressed confidence that Naxalism would soon be eradicated from the state. CM Fadnavis also visited the Pengunda Police Help Center in Gadchiroli.
Speaking to ANI, CM Fadnavis highlighted the transformation of the Gadchiroli region, saying, “This area of Gadchiroli, where we are standing, did not even have a road, and the Maoists had complete dominance here. Today, ending that dominance, we have built two big posts and constructed a road and bridge connecting directly to Chhattisgarh.”
He added, “In a way, after 75 years, the people here will get to see the state transport bus. Therefore, I believe that this is a very important day. We had said that Gadchiroli will not be the last district of Maharashtra, it will be the first district of Maharashtra and we have started that. Now the Maoists do not find new people here, there is no recruitment. Big cadres are surrendering, so it is heading towards an end.”
Fadnavis also inaugurated several key infrastructure projects, including the Gatta-Gardewada-Vangeturi road, Tadguda Bridge, and the bus service from Aheri to Gardevada in the Maoist-affected area. During his visit, he interacted with the police jawans and villagers.
In the afternoon, CM Fadnavis launched various projects of Lloyd Metals in Konasari. These include the DII plant in Konasari (investment of Rs 400 crore, 700 jobs), pellet plant and slurry pipeline (investment of Rs 3000 crore, 1000 jobs), iron ore grinding plant in Hedari, Etapalli (investment of Rs 2700 crore, 1500 jobs), Vanya garment unit (investment of Rs 20 crore, 600 jobs).
He also inaugurated the Lloyds Kali Ammal Hospital and Lloyds Raj Vidyaniketan CBSE School, which will educate 1200 students. Moreover, several public amenities such as police accommodation, gymkhana, and a children’s garden were inaugurated. Lloyd Metals has also taken the initiative to offer workers and former Maoists shares worth Rs 1,000 crore in the company, with the Chief Minister distributing the share certificates.
Speaking further, CM Fadnavis said, “North Gadchiroli has become free from Naxalism. South Gadchiroli will also be free from Maoist menace. Due to the initiatives of the police and district administration, not a single youth from the district has joined the Maoist in the last four to five years.”
He added, “Recruitment of Maoist has ended in Maharashtra. Many of the outlaws have been neutralized and arrested. Tarakka, who was a part of the Maoist movement for 38 years and worked to spread it in Maharashtra, has surrendered today. In the coming time, Naxalism will be eliminated from Maharashtra.”
Fadnavis credited the coordination led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah for cornering Naxalism and expressed hope that other states would adopt Maharashtra’s successful C-60 model to combat Naxalism. (With inputs from ANI)
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