Gadchiroli: In a historic step, Devendra Fadnavis on Friday became the first Maharashtra chief minister to set foot on the foothills of Abujmarh, the once booby-trapped Maoist headquarters and the nerve-centre of the self-styled ‘jantana sarkar’ of the guerrillas. He touched down at Kawande, a remote village on Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, where the Maoists till a year ago, ran a parallel administration, collected taxes, and operated kangaroo courts. Kawande has now emerged as a symbol of transformation of Gadchiroli, marked by the dismantling of Maoist influence and infrastructure and its integration into mainstream governance, say security experts.Fadnavis also oversaw the surrender of 12 hardened Maoists, carrying rewards exceeding ₹1 crore in Gadchiroli. However, top Maoist ideologue Bhupathi alias Sonu, who had appealed to the Centre for a ceasefire, remained elusive. Lauding security forces, the CM said, “I appeal to the guerrillas still holed up in the forests to give up arms.” Fadnavis also attended a collective wedding ceremony of 13 former Maoists, blessing the couples as they embraced mainstream life.Security experts told TOI that the mass surrender was testament to relentless efforts of Gadchiroli’s anti-Naxalite security apparatus, which built police outposts like Kawande in 24 hours deep inside the liberated zones of guerrillas. Addressing the elite C-60 commandos, Fadnavis said, “Kawande is not just a police post, but a bridge to deliver governance to the people. The establishment of six security outposts in two years, transformed areas once under the jantana sarkar’s shadow into centres of state authority. Our fight against Naxalism is in its final phase and we have set a deadline of March 2026 to wipe out the menace,” he said, crediting Shah’s stringent measures and the leadership of the Gadchiroli police.To bolster security infrastructure, 19 vehicles, including bulletproof ones, were handed over to the police, funded through the District Planning and Development Committee. The commandos too have been armed with advanced AK-103 rifles and ASMI pistols. Coordination with local communities and focus on intelligence-driven operations have neutralised 28 Maoists, arrested 31, and 44 have surrendered in 18 months.Fadnavis also conducted a drone inspection of a 120-meter-long interstate bridge over the Korma Nala on State Highway 380, with a ₹10.7 crore budget, aimed at connecting Maharashtra with Chhattisgarh. This infrastructure, monitored by DIG Ankit Goyal, will enhance accessibility in areas once isolated by Maoist control. At a beneficiary meet, Fadnavis engaged with locals, distributed benefits under schemes like Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana, and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
