Rayagada: Central force camps in Maoist-affected belts across India evokes mixed response from local villagers.

But for residents of the remote Aragada village in the rebel-hit Chandrapur block here, their presence has been a blessing. A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) battalion, stationed in the district for anti-rebel operations, has dug a tube well for them and solved a long-standing problem of drinking water.

Located about 80km from the district headquarters town, the village is home to around 30 families, mostly from the tribal communities, who have long demanded a tube well from the administration. However, all their pleas fell into deaf ears.

"The non-availability of drinking water facility in the village forced us to fetch water from the nearby stream. However, we faced acute problems each summer when the stream dries up. We had repeatedly asked the district administration to address our problem, but to no avail," said a local villager.

Finally, officers of the CRPF's 8th battalion decided to dig a tube well in the village after learning about the problem in getting safe drinking water.

"We came to know about the problems the villagers faced during our regular combing operations in the area. Hence, we decided to dig a tube well for the villagers," said 8th battalion commandant N.K. Singh.

The officer said the central forces dug the tube well as part of its civic action programme with an aim to strengthen relations between the villagers and the forces. "We conduct various programmes from time to time for the peripheral villagers to create a people-friendly environment," Singh said.

Chandrapur block chairperson Sangeeta Pratinga inaugurated the tube well on Sunday.

"The tube well will solve the problem of water for the villagers," she said.