Patna, Aug. 10: The heightened activities of Maoists in the recent past seem to have prompted the state police headquarters to set up bullet-proof pickets on hilly ter-rains and inaccessible areas considered to be haven for the rebels.

Sources said the police headquarters has identified 80 places in different Naxalite-affected districts across Bihar for setting up the pickets. These pickets would be prefabricated and re-erectable so that they could be relocated.

Director-general of police (DGP) Neel Mani said the Bihar Police Building Construction Corporation (BPBCC) has been assigned to accomplish the task of setting up the pickets in the Naxalite-hit districts. A sum of Rs 30 crore has been sanctioned to the BPBCC for the purpose, he added.

The DGP said the bullet-proof pickets would be set up on hilly terrains and inaccessible areas to keep a vigil on the activities of the Maoists. “There are places which are inaccessible for security personnel. It takes a lot of time to reach the spot after an incident occurs in remote villages situated on the hills,” he added.

Moreover, the presence of security personnel would instil confidence among the residents, who are targeted by the Maoists after being branded as police informers. “They will also help the police launch special drive against the rebels,” he said, adding that for the first time such an initiative has been taken to contain Naxalite activities.

The BPBCC was quick to respond to the directive of the state police chief. The additional director-general-cum managing director of BPBCC, Ashok Kumar Gupta, said: “Today, the corporation floated tenders for the supply of raw materials required for the pickets.”

He said the corporation would first go through the tenders and then zero in on the companies/manufacturers. “The quality of the material matters as human lives are involved,” he said, adding that all the pickets would be cent per cent bullet-proof.

The ADG said the actual cost of setting up a bullet-proof police station would be ascertained after short listing the names of the companies taking part in the tender process. “One of the manufacturing companies that had earlier approached the corporation, had put the estimated cost at around Rs 48 lakh per unit,” he added.

The bullet-proof pickets, which are to be set up for the first time in the state, have been proposed for the Naxalite-affected districts.