BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to combat Left-wing extremism (LWE) more efficiently, Odisha Police has planned to procure six high-tech drones to carry out surveillance in Naxal-affected districts of the state.
Sources said at present, Odisha Police has mini drones but they have not proved quite effective and cannot be utilised during the night. The new drones will be used to carry surveillance in Naxal-affected districts like Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Boudh, Nuapada and Rayagada.
The technical demonstration of the drones, each of which costs around `1 crore, is over and they will be procured soon. The drones, equipped with night vision feature, have a range of around 15 km. They will be initially operated by the firm from which they will be procured. Later the firm’s officials will train Odisha Police and personnel of Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on operating the devices.
Sources said the drones will give security agencies a boost, especially ahead of the 2024 general elections, to keep a close vigil on the movement of Naxals. A ‘strategy conference’ on Left-wing extremism was held on Tuesday with senior officers of Odisha Police, BSF, CRPF and IGs, DIGs and SPs of Naxal-affected districts attending it. Inaugurating the conference, DGP Sunil Bansal said Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Boudh districts have emerged as the new flash point of Naxal activities. He emphasised greater focus on these regions.
Police sources said Naxals are using Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Boudh corridor so that the ultras in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand remain connected. In a significant development, no Naxal violence has reportedly been witnessed in Malkangiri and Koraput districts in the last 18 months.
The senior officers also deliberated upon increasing coordination among the security agencies and neighbouring states to tackle the Naxal menace more effectively. To ensure the general elections pass off smoothly, the police have also planned to relocate 11 camps of BSF and CRPF from forward areas to interior regions in the Naxal-affected districts. There are a total of 96 camps of BSF and CRPF in Odisha, sources said.