In the wake of the recent Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, the Centre has expedited the process of shifting the airstrip for aerial reconnaissance drones in Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas. “The airstrip for unmanned aerial vehicles is expected to be functional within three months. The new airstrip will enable effective reconnaissance of the Naxal-infested regions,” said an official. The drones, according to sources, may operate from a runway located at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. The National Technical Research Organisation presently operates the drones out of the Begumpet airbase in Hyderabad.
While aerial reconnaissance is being intensified, over 6,000 additional paramilitary personnel have also been mobilised to ensure peaceful conduct of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maoist strongholds. A coordinated plan of action has been drawn up to carry out area domination exercises through intensive operations involving special task forces and the Greyhounds, particularly in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.
Apart from local police, over 2,100 companies of armed forces have been pressed into service.
Governments of all the affected States have been advised to ensure better coordination through real-time sharing of actionable intelligence on suspected Naxal activities, as the recent spate in violence gives strong indications that Naxals have launched a Tactical Counter-Offensive Campaign.
The Union Home Ministry had not long ago sounded an alert that the Naxal cadre planned to step up operations targeting political leaders and security forceseight districts in Chhattisgarh are among worst affected by Naxal violence, the maximum number of incidents being reported from Sukma (81), Bijapur (76) and Dantewada (60) last year; 13 in Jharkhand; five in Bihar; four in Odisha; two in Andhra Pradesh; and one district (Gadchiroli, where 68 incidents were reported last year) in Maharashtra.
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh remained the worst affected States last year, with the former accounting for 34 per cent of the total incidents and 38 per cent of the related deaths; and the latter recording 31 per cent of the incidents and 28 per cent of the resultant deaths.
