PM in Andhra Pradesh to review security

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Hyderabad on Monday night on a day's visit to the state.

He was received at the Begumpet airport by Governor Rameshwar Thakur, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, Home Minister K Jana Reddy and Director-General of Police M A Basith.

After his arrival at 9.45 pm, the prime minister drove straight to Raj Bhavan for the night halt. According to sources, Dr Singh had a brief review of the state's security scenario in the context of the police firing at Mudigonda, which resulted in the death of six persons and bullet injuries to eight others.

He also inquired about the condition of the injured persons and relief provided to the members of the victims' families.

Apart from briefing him on the law and order situation on account of Bhoo Poratam (land struggle) launched by the Left parties demanding lands for the landless and house-sites for the homeless poor, the chief minister apprised him of the situation in the state capital following the bomb blast at Mecca Masjid on May 18 this year.

The prime minister was also given a brief on the Maoist challenge and the measures taken by the state security agencies to tackle it.

The chief minister is understood to have explained to Dr Singh that the infiltration of Maoists into Bhoo Poratam had created a serious law and order situation and this was manifested in the violence that erupted at Mudigonda and resulted in police firing on
July 28. 

Besides DGP Basith, other top police officers were also present at the security review meeting.

On Tuesday, the prime minister will have a hectic schedule. This is the first time Dr Singh is visiting a state and spending a whole day reviewing in depth all the state-specific projects and schemes. He will review the functioning of various departments such as agriculture, irrigation, cooperation, transport, roads & buildings, revenue, municipal and urban development in two separate sessions.

In the morning, he will review food security, agriculture, cooperation and irrigation. In the afternoon, he will review state-specific projects in revenue, energy, infrastructure, urban development, industries, road transport, and Panchayati Raj and railways sector. He will return to New Delhi on Tuesday evening.

The prime minister is accompanied by a team comprising Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, secretaries of Union Ministers concerned and top Central officials.