NEW DELHI, NOV 2: Reports of left-wing extremism cadres strengthening themselves in the five affected States came under serious discussion today in Mumbai where Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande chaired a meeting of the co-ordination centre.Urging the chief & home secretaries and DGPs of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa to ``prioritise their requirements'', Pande urged for a joint strategy to combat left-wing extremism. Giving details of the meeting here, a Home Ministry spokesperson said, ``There was a general agreement that the States should share their resources and competence in training and intelligence.''Senior officials of Environment and Rural Development Ministries also participated in the meet. This was done mainly to seek their help in the acceleration of development projects in forest areas of the affected States.Pande clarified that ``powers have been delegated to the field functionaries of the Environment Ministry to ensure that most of the projects are cleared at the regional level. Even the proposal for setting up police stations in forest areas could be considered on a case-to-case basis.
