Last Frontier Breached After 30 Years, Combat Boots Roll Into ‘Kashmir Of Vidarbha’ Atop Abujmarh

Nagpur: In a historic move, Maharashtra's C-60 commandos on Saturday revived police presence after three decades in the picturesque village of Binagunda, nestled deep inside the dense forests of Abujmarh — a strategic location on the now fallen Red Corridor that once housed the headquarters of the battle-hardened People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). The new police outpost was erected overnight in a 24-hour operation, involving over 1,000 security personnel who first constructed an 18km road from Laheri in Gadchiroli district to access the high-altitude post that will provide a vantage point to commandos to smoke out the few holed-up guerrillas to meet the March 31 deadline.Often hailed as the ‘Kashmir of Vidarbha' for its steep climb, cascading waterfalls, lush green valleys, and misty hills, Binagunda was long shrouded in fear of Maoists with zero tourist footfall. Just like challenges faced in Kashmir amidst the region's scenic beauty, explosives blew up govt installations and bullets rained on security forces till combat boots breached the final frontier on Saturday.The police post will facilitate construction of National Highway-130D that will straddle Allapalli in Maharashtra with Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh, criss-crossing the dense Abujmarh forests. There's also a missing 27km link from Laheri to Kuwakodi on this highway, which will soon be completed in coming days, triggering an economic boom in the once forbidden hills. The area, which remains marooned 6 months during monsoon, will soon have bridges over nullahs and will be motorable round the year.Sources stated the police post was first opened in 1996 but was abandoned after incessant guerrilla attacks. The extent of inaccessibility can be gauged from the fact that a steep elevation from 285m at Laheri police post to 585m at Binagunda over an 18km distance was a challenge, apart from the fact this was booby-trapped Maoist haven. In 2009, at least 17 policemen were killed in an ambush at Laheri, 20km off Binagunda.The new police post faces formidable challenges, with no paved roads, erratic power supply that's supplemented by 2 generators, no mobile networks, and limited wireless communication.The only lifeline for security forces is satellite-based internet via Eutelsat, allowing minimal link with family members alongside satellite phones for essential communication.On Saturday, this serene enclave emerged from decades of isolation and conflict, paving way for development and security, accelerated road construction, improved power supply and opportunities for eco-tourism that could transform the area into a thriving tourist hotspot, said SP Gadchiroli Neelotpal.Apart from Neelotpal, IG anti-national operation cell chief Sandeep Patil and DIG Ankit Goyal, CRPF battalion commandant Shambhu Kumar, Addl SP (Operations) M Ramesh, Addl SP Aheri Karthik M, and addl SP Admin Gokul Raj were present, along with 300 local tribals. This marked the 10th police post opened in Gadchiroli district. Electricity, introduced in 2023 for the first time since Independence, lasts barely 3 months before the monsoons.