Lalgarh rebuilding begins

After the combined forces sealed all entry points to Lalgarh, the Bengal government has decided to initiate confidence-building measures in the area. While the forces will stay put till Lalgarh is completely “sanitised”, the government wants to restore normalcy at the earliest.

As a first step, eight secretary-level IAS officers arrived in Lalgarh on Tuesday. They will camp there for a week and understand and identify people’s development needs. The CM has also constituted a special task force to implement development projects.

The combined forces camping at different schools in Katapahari, Belpahari and Goaltor will soon start micro-level PR exercises to win people’s confidence.

A senior police officer said the forces had been instructed to set up camps at the earliest, so that the schools could resume functioning. Another police officer said the forces had begun interacting with locals. “We want to make it clear we are not their enemies. We’ll even assist locals resume normal life,” he said.

The officer said most leaders of the Public Committee for Resistance against Police Atrocities, under which the Maoists were operating, ran away after the forces entered Lalgarh. “This has helped us strike a chord with locals, many of whom are shocked at the cowardly act of the Maoists,” he said, adding, “We’ll sanitise all the 22 villages in Lalgarh in the next few days.”