NEW DELHI: The once unknown hills of Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad is all set to be surveyed for the first time since independence as the state government has signed an agreement with IIT-Roorkee to map the densely forested region, spanning across Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district to parts of south Bastar to Gadchiroli of Maharashtra.
The mapping project, according to reports, will cover the 5000 square km of largely inaccessible terrain in Abujhmad (roughly translating to “unknown hills”), an infamous bastion of the Red Terror until a few years ago.
Upon completion, the project is likely to provide detailed revenue maps of the region for the first time, after decades without such surveys. This is also expected to enable the government to provide administrative services to remote villages.
Over the next few years, the survey team is likely to map more than 240 villages in the region, gathering crucial data to support the overall development of one of the country’s most remote areas. According to reports, a 70-member team has already been deployed and is likely to begin survey work soon. The maps will be prepared using geo-referencing of high-resolution satellite imagery.
The development has been made possible after security forces in the last few years established key security bases in the hilly terrain badly affected by Maoist insurgency. Camps have been set up in Maoist strongholds such as Kutul, Kodnad, Lanka, and other strategic locations, enabling the administration to step in and initiate development-related projects.
Read more at: ITBP setup security camp in Abujhmad of Narayanpur
As Naxalism started to wane from the region, following pinpoint operations of security forces, the administration is likely to speed up development projects and reach out with welfare initiatives providing relief to locals who have long been deprived of basic facilities.
“There is no revenue map of the area. With the area under Maoist’s dominance shrinking rapidly, it is finally possible to conduct a survey. This will be a big step forward as with mapping of this area the government schemes will finally leaving here,” said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
Security operations in Maoist-infested regions across the country have resulted in decisive success for security forces in the last two to three years. The campaign against Maoists is likely to continue further with the government eyeing the complete elimination of Naxal-insurgency by March this year, as announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
