Raipur, April 24- Chhattisgarh government has named two former chief secretaries as its nominees for talks with Naxals for release of abducted Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon even as activists — Prashant Bhushan and Manish Kunjam — declined to mediate on behalf of the Maoists.

Former chief secretaries of Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh — Nirmala Buch and S.K. Mishra — have been deputed by the state government for talks with the abductors of the 32-year-old 2006 batch IAS officer, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh told reporters in Raipur.

'Buch and Mishra have been spoken to. They have stated that they will mediate with the Maoist mediators on behalf of the state government,' he said.

'Because the talks process will be starting, there should not be any deadline for resolving the issue,' Singh said.

The Chief Minister said even though the president of All India Adivasi Mahasabha Manish Kunjam had refused to mediate, the activist has responded to an appeal by him to carry medicines for Menon, whose condition had been described by the Naxals as 'critical'.

Collector abduction : Raman Singh names new mediators.