Republic Day 2025 | As Naxals retreat, tricolour set to fly proudly in 14 remote locations in Chhattisgarh

New camps of security forces set up in these areas have paved the way for development in the region, an official said.

Raipur: The national flag will be unfurled in 14 remote locations in Chhattisgarh’s Naxalite-hit Bastar region on Republic Day on Sunday, as security forces push Maoists into retreat from their strongholds, an official has said.

These locations are in the Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukma districts of the region, comprising seven districts.

New camps of security forces set up in these areas have paved the way for development in the region, he said.

“Fourteen new camps of security forces have been set up near 13 villages since September last year,” Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI on Saturday.

According to the official, the villages are Kondapalli, Jidpalli, Vatevagu and Karregatta in Bijapur district, Horadi, Garpa Kachchapal and Kodliar in Narayanpur and Tumallpad, Raigudem, Golakunda, Gomguda and Mettaguda villages in Sukma.

Two separate camps at a distance of 5 km have been set up in Jidpalli village due to the challenging terrain of the area.

“On Sunday, tricolour will be unfurled in these 14 locations where such an event was not witnessed in the past since independence,” he said.

Of the new camps, personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been stationed in ten, Border Security Force (BSF) in three and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in one, the senior official said.

The establishment of new camps in these interior areas has pushed Naxalites on the back foot, he said.

Due to these new camps, government welfare programmes are reaching people, mainly tribals, through the ‘Niyad Nellanar’ (your good village) scheme, aimed at ushering in development and ensuring basic amenities in the hinterland, he said.

Twelve more such villages in Bijapur, Sukma, Narayanpur and Kanker districts where the tricolour was hoisted for the first time on Independence Day last year will celebrate Republic Day for the first time on Sunday, he said.

At least 42 Naxalites have been killed in separate gunfights with security forces in Chhattisgarh so far this year. Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in the state.

Meanwhile, the state has made preparations in all 33 districts, including the capital Raipur, to celebrate Republic Day, a government public relations official here said.

Governor Ramen Deak will unfurl the national flag in the morning at the Police Parade ground in Raipur and receive the guard of honour from different units of security personnel, while Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai will hoist the tricolour in Ambikapur, the headquarters of Surguja district, he said.

Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma will take part in the R-Day celebrations in Raigarh and Bastar, respectively. Other ministers and MLAs will join similar events in different places across the state, the official added.

Security has been stepped up in the state, particularly in Maoist-affected areas, in view of the planned R-Day celebrations, police said.