Tuesday, November 8 2005 11:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Udupi: Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh yesterday (Nov 7, 2005) said he was not perturbed by the threat of being on the hit list of Naxal groups along with some other top political leaders.

"Threats are common and usual. We have to face it. But the Government will not be deterred by such threats," Singh said.

Asked whether the coalition Government in Karnataka had failed to take stern steps to contain increasing Naxal activities in various parts of the state in general and Malnad and the coastal districts in particular, he said the Government had already taken up this issue with Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil.

The Naxal manace in Malnad area would be contained by deploying suitable tactics, Singh, here to attend the district congress workers meet, told reporters.

To a query on whether the Government would take concrete steps to ban the Naxal and other anti-social organisations in the state, he said 132 anit-social organisations had already been banned. The Government had also submitted another list of some anti-social organisations to be banned to the Centre.

A high-powered committee meeting, comprising top officials, had been convened in Mangalore today (Nov 8, 2005) to discuss the Naxal problem in the coastal and Malnad districts, he added.