Bhubaneswar: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) today said it will relocate its personnel in the Sunabeda Sanctuary in Nuapada district after it has been identified as the most troubled area in Odisha.
"As part of the strategy, it has been decided that CRPF camps would be withdrawn from the areas where the Maoist activities have declined and redeployed in areas where the red rebels are more active," CRPF Director General Prakash Mishra told reporters here a day after claiming that the left wing extremism was under control in the state.
Barring Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Sunabeda in Nuapada district, Maoist activities in the state are now negligible, the CRPF DG said.
"CRPF would take up special measures in the four Maoist-prone areas in the state with special focus in Nuapada district and Sunabeda in Koraput district," Mishra said.
After reviewing the overall Maoist situation in the state, Mishra said CRPF camps would be withdrawn from the districts like Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Ganjam where the Maoist activities have come down drastically.
He pointed out that the state government could deploy its own forces like IRB (India Reserve Battalion) and district police force from where CRPF personnel would be withdrawn.
Asked about the state government's demand for deployment of more CRPF personnel in Odisha, the CRPF DG said the Centre can meet the requirements if the state government places its demand before the Union Home ministry.
On the reports of LWEs plan to target choppers, Mishra said, "We are prepared for the eventualities. These are nothing new."
"Since the left wing extremists keep on changing their plans to escape from the intelligence radar, strategic rethinking is needed to curb Maoist menace," he said.
