Ranchi, Nov. 14: Anaconda, the nemesis of Left-wing extremism in Saranda, has returned to pave a progress pathway through the once impenetrable forest of West Singhbhum.
A formidable army of 2,000-odd central paramilitary and state police personnel today formed a special security ring to assist the civil administration build the much-needed social infrastructure in 56 villages of the reclaimed Maoist belt.
During the fortnight-long operation, aptly titled Anaconda Returns, the joint team will help officials venture into the core area and prepare detailed reports for a host of development projects, including roads under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
“About 200km of roads will be built under PMGSY to ensure all-weather connectivity in a majority of the 56 villages in Saranda. During the operation, we will zero in on exact sites where CRPF camps will be set up. We will also prepare a list of BPL families, besides setting up integrated development centres,” a senior government official said.
A day ago, CRPF’s additional DGP (operations), Delhi, P.M. Nair and CRPF IG (operations), Ranchi, D.K. Pandey had visited Chaibasa to give final shape to the operation.
CRPF DIG Bhanu Pratap Singh, who is in charge of Chaibasa operational area, confirmed that the initiative had been launched. “We are helping administrative officials prepare detailed project reports of development work to be started in Saranda,” he maintained.
To add more teeth to future anti-Maoist operations in the state, an Mi-17 armoured chopper reached the state capital last week. “This was earlier at the disposal of the Chhattisgarh government. But now, arrangements are being made to keep it in Jharkhand. One more Mi-17 will bolster the state’s security machinery soon,” state police IG (operations and intelligence) S.N. Pradhan said.
The CRPF and the state police had freed Saranda from over 10 years of Maoist dominance in a month-long offensive in August.
Saranda was the second most important address of Maoists (after a forest in Bastar, Chhattisgarh), which served as the headquarters of their eastern regional bureau.
During Operation Anaconda, the bureau headquarters was demolished in Tirilposhi and the joint forces recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, besides incriminating documents. The latter suggested that the outlawed rebels ran a parallel government in Saranda, employing doctors for regular village visits and judges to hold kangaroo courts.
The Saranda development plan, the brainchild of Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, was conceptualised in September. Ramesh, who visited Ranchi last month, sent a proposal to home minister P. Chidambaram, seeking his support for a slew of development activities his ministry wanted to launch in the forests of West Singhbhum.
The proposal includes a number of initiatives on housing and healthcare. A boost to employment will come in the form of the MGNREGS that will be used to develop land and build roads.
The district administration will open 10 integrated development centres at strategic locations to cover all the villages and provide minimum services like ration, healthcare etc. The centres will provide BPL and Antyodaya Anna cards to all eligible families.
