Bhubaneswar, June 16: Rains are threatening to hamstring the Orissa government’s stepped up offensive against the Maoists notwithstanding a renewed pledge of support from the Centre.

Reports from the districts suggest that combing operation against the rebels has slowed down in Keonjhar, part of the Kalinga Nagar division of the Maoists, following yesterday’s heavy downpour. The district recorded a rainfall of 47mm, the highest in Orissa, making movement of the forces difficult.

Sources said, with monsoon likely to cause rain all over Orissa, a similar situation is expected to emerge in other Maoist-infested districts as well.

“The rains could not have come at a worse time. This is going to add to our problems as forests become practically inaccessible during the monsoon,” said a government officer, adding that the security forces would still go after the rebels with all their might.

On Tuesday, Union home minister P. Chidambaram discussed the situation along the Orissa-Chhattisgarh border with chief ministers of the two states in Delhi and offered them central support. He had announced plans to launch joint operations against the Maoists by the central and state police forces along inter-state borders.

Sources said the Centre’s concern emanates from the rising scale of Maoist violence in Chhattisgarh and Orissa where the rebels struck 302 times killing 116 in the last one year.

The bulk of the killings were in Chhatisgarh, but with the Maoists now increasingly engaging in cross-border operations, the threat perception in Orissa kept growing.

“There is no denying that the Orissa areas close to the Chhatisgarh border are facing the worst kind of threat. We stepped up our vigil along the border following the massacre of nine police jawans in the Sunabeda sanctuary over a fortnight ago,” said an officer, adding that stray killings were still taking place in the area.

As the better of Orissa’s border with Chhatisgarh and Andhra Pradesh was covered with dense forests, rains would impede movement of troops engaged in the anti-Maoist operation.

“The forests even otherwise are difficult to penetrate during the rainy season. Moreover, the rebels, who know the area much better than the central and the state forces, would turn the belt into a minefield with claymore mines and indigenous explosive devices,” said an officer pointing to dangers of the operation during rains.