In an effort to strengthen its presence in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam district, especially in Maoist strongholds on the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB), the district police have plans to upgrade the existing police stations to make them attack-proof.
Work is under way at the police stations in Chintapalli, GK Veedhi and Hukumpeta.
“At Chintapalli and GK Veedhi, about 80 per cent of the work is over. At Hukumpeta, we are midway through. They should be ready in a couple of months,” said Superintendent of Police, Visakhapatnam, Koya Praveen.
Six other police stations had been identified and work would commence shortly, he said.
The district police have already spent Rs. 2 crore to modernise and upgrade the infrastructure at GK Veedhi and Sileru police stations.
“At most of our police stations in the Agency areas, especially those near the AOB, we maintain a contingent of para-military force. Modernisation has been done to provide a good ambience for their living,” said Dr. Praveen.
The district police are also assisting contractors appointed by the administration to lay roads in the interior areas by providing them security.
“Infrastructure building, especially road connectivity, plays an important role in reducing the influence of insurgents in the tribal hamlets,” the SP said.
In the first phase, a 7-km road is being laid from Annavaram to Rallagedda in Chintapalli mandal. Later, it will be linked to Korukonda, covering a distance of about 30-km. On formation of a tribal battalion to tackle the Maoists, the SP said, “As of now, there is no information available with us on this matter. But, we have sent a proposal to recruit about 200 tribal people under the Home Guard scheme. This is only to provide livelihood to them.”
According to him, the Maoists-proposed community coffee farming among the tribal people in places such as Gerella, Kumkumpudi, Balapam has failed miserably.
Infrastructure building, especially road connectivity, plays an important role in reducing the influence of Maoists in tribal hamlets.
Koya Praveen
Visakhapatnam SP
