Bhubaneswar: One battalion BSF personnel
arrived in Orissa's Koraput district on Thursday ahead of the
special joint operation against Maoists to be launched soon,
official sources said.
Though the state government is yet to decide the date
of launching the operation, a senior police official said it
could begin next month after arrival of five battalions of
central para-military forces required for the job.
Stating that CPMF jawans would undergo familiarisation
training before the proposed special operation, he said "one
BSF battalion (600 personnel) has been sent to Koraput and two
more are likely to reach the naxal-hit district by tomorrow".
"The BSF jawans have come for regular anti-Maoist
operation. I cannot say anything regarding special operation
now," Koraput SP Arun Kumar Sahu said over phone.
The force could now be deployed in the district's
border areas with Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in order to
prevent influx of Maoists into Orissa.
The state government had demanded at least eight
battalions of central para-military force in addition to five
battalions already deployed for anti-Maoist operation, they
said.
On special operation, a senior home department
official said: "Everything depends on availability of CPMF. Our
requirement is at least seven more battalions of CPMF."
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during his meetings with
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had told the Centre that
the state had no objection in launching of anti-Maoist special
operation in the state.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 21:25