there was a need to pursue vital issues regarding those who provided the bandit political and financial support that helped him to survive for more than 20 years, the chief minister said.
Singh phoned his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa in the midst of the press conference, congratulated her for her initiatives to end the Veerappan menace as also her state's Special Task Force.
"Congratulations. It is your keen interest that brought an end to the 20 years reign of terror in the forests" Singh told Jayalalithaa. He also complimented the Karnataka STF and recalled the support extended to the operations to capture Veerappan by Tamil Nadu.
Singh announced that the state government would allot residential sites to the personnel involved in STF operations. About 900 personnel had been drafted to the STF.
When asked about the Rs 5 crore (Rs 50 million) reward announced on Veerappan's head, Singh said a decision would be taken on it. He remained non-committal on whether the STF would be disbanded.