Lack of road connectivity remains a “serious” challenge for security forces who are moving deeper into Maoist-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh to set up new camps every year, CRPF DG Kuldiep Singh said on Thursday.
He said the force has set up 20 Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) deep inside the state's jungles but over 330 km of roads in the Sukma-Bijapur-Dantewada region are pending completion for almost 12 years. “The issue of roads (in the core Naxal zone) is a serious one. Our camps are increasing by the day, deeper in Maoist areas. But we don't have roads connecting them. There are projects stuck since 2007-08,” he said.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the 63rd CRPF Day celebrations to be held in Jammu on March 19, Singh also said that incidents of violence have come down in Jammu and Kashmir. Asked about the force's role in the UP and Punjab polls, he said the CRPF provided cover to 41 VIPs, and that security for 27 was withdrawn after the elections.
According to CRPF data, 58 FOBs have been set up by the CRPF in zones affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) since 2020. Of these, 35 have been set up in the past one year alone, mostly in Chhattisgarh where Maoists continue to hold sway in parts of South Bastar.
At the same time, the data show, only 50 per cent work has been completed on the 331 km of roads in the Sukma-Bijapur-Dantewada region that was sanctioned by the Government in 2010. In 2012, two more road projects — Konta-Gollapalli (44 km) and…
