Law and order situation peaceful in Odisha: CM Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 21 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that the overall law and order situation in the state was peaceful and relatively free from any form of communal discord.
During a discussion in the state assembly, Patnaik said the elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) 2022, urban local bodies 2022 and elections to different co-operative societies were conducted peacefully in the state.
The Chief Minister said, "The overall law and order situation in the state remained by and large peaceful. During the period, the state has been relatively free from any form of communal discord."
He also said the "Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath" with devotees participating in lakhs after two years was also conducted smoothly due to elaborate Police arrangements.
The Chief Minister said the overall intensity of Maoist violence has come down in the state, with panchayat polls being conducted without any incident in Maoist-affected areas.
"Intensity of overall Maoist violence has come down in the State. The Panchayat elections have been conducted incident-free in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas with high voter turnout despite determined efforts by Maoists to hinder the poll process," Patnaik said.
The Chief Minister underlined that strengthening police machinery in terms of human resources and infrastructure had been the priority of the government.
"Strengthening the police machinery both in terms of human resources and infrastructure has been the priority of my Government. A total of 944 posts in various ranks have been created for Odisha Police last year. Dedicated Police Stations for cybercrime and economic offences have been created," Patnaik added.
Several institutional mechanisms like integrated anti-human trafficking units and investigation units for crime against women have been formed.
"All women-related heinous crimes are being treated as 'red-flag cases' and special public prosecutors are engaged for these cases," he said.
All Police stations of the state are being covered under elaborate CCTV coverage and installation of CCTV has been completed in 584 Police Stations out of 593 Police Stations, the Chief Minister said. (ANI)