A police barracks would soon come up at Yadunathpur in Rohtas district bordering Uttar Pradesh (UP) to keep tabs on Maoists operating in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP.

The barracks would be equipped with all modern electronic gadgets and would accommodate 40 trained personnel, Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Manu Maharaj said after laying the foundation of the facility on Tuesday.

Yadunathpur, considered a hotbed of the Naxalites, is inaccessible for the security personnel. Taking advantage of the difficult terrain, the rebels from neighbouring Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh sneak into Bihar through Yadunathpur.

Maharaj said the police barracks would become operational within two months. “It will help the police keep a close watch on the movement of the rebels sneaking into Bihar during anti-Maoist operations in the neighbouring states, and vice versa. The barracks would be provided with all modern electronic gadgets,” the SP said.

He added that the decision to open a police barracks in Maoist-hit Yadunathpur was taken after a meeting with residents and people’s representatives, who were seeking for the same for several years. “We have submitted a proposal to the district administration for setting up a hospital and a school also,” he said. The SP added that there was neither a hospital nor a school with a 20km radius from Yadunathpur.

The meeting, aimed at instilling pro-development confidence in people, was held in the area for the first time in the last 14 years. The residents of Burkhura, Ughani, Kardha and Oriya under Chenari block attended the meeting. “We have selected some other Maoist affected places in the district to set up police pickets,” the SP said.

The police officials distributed 40 pieces of lantern, dhoti, 45 saris and other articles of daily use among the residents. Sources said till recently, the extremists were virtually running a parallel administration in Yadunathpur and its neighbouring villages.

Security personnel feared to trudge in thick forests even during daytime. “This is the place where a contingent of police force headed by Maharj was surrounded by the Maoists last year. The ultras had engaged the police in a fierce encounter for several hours. The police somehow managed to escape. Later, three members of the banned outfit were killed in an encounter,” said a police officer associated with anti-Maoist operation.

Maoist activities have been on the rise in various pockets of the state. Personnel of the CRPF’s 131st battalion yesterday found bodies of the three men, abducted by suspected Maoists on June 2, from a ditch on the outskirts of Rampur near the sub-divisional headquarters of Bhagalpur.