Varanasi: To keep a close eye on naxal
activities in inaccessible areas, police has decided to rope
in private helicopters to keep a check on them in Varanasi
range.
Places like Chandoli, Sonbhadra and the area along the
Bihar border are naxal-hit. The decision to initiate aerial
reconnaissance of these inaccessible areas was taken at a
meeting held by the Inspector General of Police (Varanasi
range) Rajendra Pal Singh here yesterday during a meeting.
"Some of the naxal-hit regions are so inaccessible that
police vehicles are not able to reach those spots. There is
always a life threat to the soldiers who try to enter such
inhospitable regions, as naxal attacks could come from
anywhere. Therefore, we have taken a decision to use choppers
to keep an eye on these regions. We will hire private
helicopters for this exercise," Singh said today.
"Allocations for patrolling the naxal regions has been
increased fourfold. Approximately Rs 6.25 crore have been
distributed in different regions for this purpose. We will
also request the telecom companies to increase the number of
towers for a better connectivity and communication for our
staff during the patrolling. Satellite phones would also be
used," he said.
The police is also going to improve upon its image
amongst the people residing in the naxal-infested regions.
"We are going to focus on the community development in
such areas. We will co-operate with the NGOs and other
organisations working there. The youths in these regions would
also be given training in computers and driving," Singh said.
PTI
