Security force personnel patrol in a Maoist region.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Bijapur: Nearly six months after carrying out a comprehensive anti-Naxal operation in the dense forests of Karregutta Hills along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border, security forces have set up a new camp in the area, once considered a safe hideout for senior Maoists.
The forces set up a 'Surakhsa Evam Jan Suvidha Camp' (security and public facility camp) on November 4 near Tadpala village under the Usoor police station of Bijapur district, an official said on Sunday.
In April-May this year, Central and state security forces carried out a 21-day comprehensive operation in the dense forests around Karregutta Hills, during which they eliminated 31 Naxalites.
They also seized 35 weapons, 450 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and a large number of detonators and other devices, besides 12,000 kg of other materials, including medical supplies, electric equipment, Naxal literature, etc, police said.
The official said that the new camp will serve as the forward operating base (FOB) for the 196th and 205th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action — an elite unit of the CRPF), respectively.
The camp will help curb Maoist activities in the border region and improve operational capabilities, and will also help in facilitating essential services such as roads, electricity, drinking water, health facilities, schools, PDS (Public Distribution System) outlets, mobile connectivity and anganwadi centres for villagers in the area, he said.
As a part of the plan to set up camp in this strategically important interstate border region, joint teams of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), both units of the state police, CoBRA's 205th and 210th battalions, and the CRPF's 196th battalion reached Tadpala on November 3.
A site was selected in the presence of senior police and CoBRA officials, and the camp was successfully set up the next day, the official said.
Security forces displayed exceptional courage in navigating steep, inaccessible terrain, the absence of roads, constant threat of IEDs and ambushes, and acute shortage of water while establishing the camp, he said.
Helicopter support was provided throughout the process, and senior officers visited the site periodically to supervise and guide the teams, he said.
The official said that the location will also be developed as a specialised training centre for jungle warfare, field craft, tactics and other practical training modules, aimed at enhancing operational capabilities in insurgency-hit regions.
From Tadpala, joint and coordinated operations will be conducted along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border.
On November 11, senior state police and CRPF officials visited the camp, interacted with personnel and congratulated them for successfully completing the task under difficult conditions, he said.
CRPF Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh, along with senior CoBRA and state police officers, visited the camp on November 20-21, and stayed there overnight, sending a strong message of solidarity and support to the forces, the official said.
As many as 14 IEDs have been recovered and safely defused by bomb disposal teams since the establishment of the camp in the area, he said.
At least 22 security camps have been established in Bijapur since 2024. During this period, 202 Maoists were killed in separate encounters, 749 surrendered, and 1,006 were arrested in the district, he said.
Under the "Niyad Nella Naar" (your good village) scheme aimed at facilitating development works in remote villages located in the vicinity of security camps, significant progress has been reported in road connectivity, electricity supply, water facilities, healthcare expansion, school and anganwadi establishment, and strengthening mobile network services.