The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Three Ministers in team for talks with naxals

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 30, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Three Ministers in team for talks with naxals

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 29. Ahead of the peace talks scheduled with the People's War in October, the State Government today announced its representatives for the talks, apart from a seven-member team of mediators to supervise the same.

The representatives, announced by the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, are: the Revenue Minister, Dharmana Prasada Rao; the Social Welfare Minister, D. Redya Naik; the Municipal Administration Minister, Koneru Ranga Rao; the former Ministers — T. Purushottam Rao, Keshav Rao and P. Venkat Rao; Marri Shashidhar Reddy, MLA; and the Tirupati Urban Development Authority Chairman, Karunakar Reddy.

Mediators' team

The mediators are the civil liberties activist and senior advocate, K.G. Kannabiran, Potturi Venkateshwar Rao, Bojja Tharakam, G. Haragopal, Keshav Rao Jadhav, A.B.K. Prasad and S. Seshaiah.

The Government announced a 20-member monitoring committee to supervise the talks on Tuesday.

As for the PW meeting in the city on Thursday, Mr. Reddy said the event would be considered as any other public meeting in a democratic set-up, with the police bandobust and security arrangements in place. The PW had asked for permission for a public meeting, which the Government gave. Steps would be taken to ensure that the meeting passed off peacefully, he said.

Amenities for villages

Addressing reporters after a video conference with district Collectors, Superintendents of Police and other district-level developmental officials to review the law and order situation in the State along with the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the Home Minister said district officials had been directed to visit remote and naxal-affected villages, where development had hitherto taken a backseat, and to assess the situation before taking up steps to ensure basic amenities, including electricity, drinking water, health care and fair price shops.

Official teams would be formed to visit the villages and interact with local officials and villagers, apart from assigning Ministers and senior police officials to do the same on a regular basis, Mr. Reddy said.

Coordination

The video conference was held mainly to get a feedback from the district officials and encourage coordination between the police and the district administration, hesaid.

The law and order situation in the State, Mr. Reddy said, had remained peaceful in the recent past, except for a few disturbances in Anantapur, where 35 cases were booked and 15 persons arrested under the Preventive Detention Act.

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