Visakhapatnam: The Visakha Rural police have mooted a plan to install CCTV cameras in and around the Maoist strongholds in a bid to nab suspected Maoist militia members as well as to prevent ganja smuggling from the Visakha Agency. These cameras will also be put up in the plain areas of the district and the plan will be implemented as soon as the cops procure the necessary equipment.
According to sources, identifying the militia members and the rank and file of the CPI (Maoists) has become a herculean task for the cops in the Agency areas. The naxals usually gather information about movement of combing parties with the help of the militia network. This information reaches the Maoists extremely fast. The rural cops want to be faster than the naxals with the help of these cameras that will be set up at all the major centres in the naxal-infested areas, sources said.
"These camera would also help the police identify persons, who support the Maoists in their actions," a senior police officer working in Visakha Agency told TOI.
According to sources, naxals are active in six out of the 11 mandals in Visakha Agency, including a few mandals close to the plain areas. The Agency has three sub-divisions, including Narsipatnam which is its gateway. Each sub-division will have around 200 cameras and the command centre would be set up at the sub-division headquarters. More than 800 cameras would be set up in the entire district.
The couriers and militia members of CPI (Maoists) generally visit the main centres like Seeleru, GK Veedhi, Chintapalli, Paderu, Lothugedda, Pedabayalu, Munchingput and G Magudula during the weekly markets to gather information about police movement. They also interact with tribals from various interior villages for information, besides conducting recce at various important places and track the movement of persons in their hit list, sources said. All the police stations in the Agency areas will have sufficient cameras in and around the stations, the outposts at Rallagedda in Chintapalli and also at Rudakota in Pedabayalu, besides the other outposts to be constructed.
"Combing in forest areas and exchanging bullets in hilly terrains is part of jungle warfare. But one can't identify the enemy within the villages. Each junction will have four cameras in all directions and we are now waiting for the equipment to reach us," a senior rank police officer in Visakha Agency said.
The cameras will also help the cops identify ganja smugglers in the area. "Smugglers mostly from Tamil Nadu and Kerala provide fertilisers, pesticides and other support to the tribals to cultivate ganja," the police officer said, adding that once the cops can identify them, it will become easy for them to arrest the ganja smugglers and stop the cultivation.
Start a Conversation
Post comment