Raipur: After a sustained operation along
the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, the anti-Naxal forces will
soon launch an offensive along the crucial borderline of
Orissa and Chhattisgarh, which is considered a Maoist
stronghold.
Official sources said five battalions (over 5,000
personnel) of the BSF have been asked to move to Orissa
border with Chhattisgarh.
They said the deployment would be completed by
month-end and the operations in the strategic area are likely
to begin around the same time.
"We will now focus on the Chhattisgarh-Orissa border
and the operations will begin soon," CRPF Special Director
General and Commander of the Anti-Naxal Task Force Vijay
Raman said.
Asked how he would rate the anti-Naxal operations,
which have led to the arrest of numerous Maoist leaders and
busting of several Naxal camps apart from seizure of a large
cache of explosives, Raman said, "It is too early to say
anything now. The signpost indicates we are on the right
track."
At present, Orissa has about four CRPF battalions
posted in the state while there are about 14 in Chhattisgarh,
which is one of the first states to begin the operations
against the Naxals.
The sources said that the operation along the border
of the two states will focus on cutting the escape routes of
Naxals and fortifying the same. Operations would start off
from Chhattisgarh and Orissa sides at the same time.
These would focus on the 4,000 square kilometre
Abujhmad forest of Chhattisgarh and the heavily forested areas
connecting the state with Orissa that are considered to be a
Maoist hotbed.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 22, 2010, 15:23