Raipur, Feb 15 : Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has said that a unified command will be constituted in Chhattisgarh for better coordination among security forces to check Naxal menace in the State.

The unified command will be headed by the Chief Minister and will establish better coordination between the State and Central forces in fighting the Maoists in the interior areas of the state. This was announced by Shivraj Patil after a meeting with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister Raman Singh and senior officials of the Central and State Government here yesterday.

To tackle the Maoist challenge, Patil said the Central Government also decided to provide five battalions of Central forces and to raise four India Reserve Battalions (IRBs).

The Central Government has already provided 13 battalions of paramilitary forces to Chhattisgarh.

The Central Government will also provide seven armoured vehicles.

The Home Minister also expressed satisfaction over the measures taken by the state to fight the Maoists.

Chief Minister Raman Singh said that during the meeting it was also decided to strengthen road networks and police stations in the Naxal-hit areas.

Maoists are active in 15 of the 19 districts in the state.

ANI