Author: PTI
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: October 5, 2008
Hitting back at the Centre for alleging improper
utilisation of para-military forces in riot-torn Kandhamal district, Orissa
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said that it took more than a week
for additional CRPF forces and a helicopter to reach the affected areas when
it was "too late".
"The district was left to fend for itself
with available forces from August 23 to 27 when the violence following the
killing of Swamiji (Laxmananda Saraswati) was at its peak," Patnaik said.
Though the State had sought additional forces
on August 23, he said the first batch arrived in Kandhamal only on August
27.
As the rioters blocked roads by felling trees,
the State Government asked for a helicopter for transporting personnel on
August 24.
"No helicopter was, however, made available
to us and it arrived only on August 31. By then, the roads had been cleared,"
he said in a communication in response to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil's
letter received on Friday.
In a strongly-worded letter, Patil had accused
the State Government of failing to properly utilise central forces as well
as the helicopter.
Rejecting claims that the Centre had fully
met the requirements of forces in Orissa, Patnaik said that after the arrival
of the additional central forces there was a substantial reduction in violence.
"These forces were deployed to guard relief camps, religious institutions
and other areas."
The Chief Minister said that the CRPF had
a standard operating procedure of deploying a company in a particular location.
"This meant that the 40 companies of
CRPF available in Kandhamal could be deployed at 40 places at the most whereas
the district had hundreds of vulnerable religious institutions and habitations,"
he said.
