As Chhattisgarh govt slept, CRPF jawans became sitting ducks protecting road work

If the technology suggested to the government of Chattisgarh had been implemented then a kilometre of road could have been laid in two days time.

A majority of the jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force are engaged in protecting infrastructure development instead of carrying out operations in the jungles against the Naxal. A major part of the force was providing security for the ongoing road work in Sukma, Chhattisgarh when Naxals launched an attack on a camp nearby in which 25 jawans were martyred.

It is ironic to state that jawans are protecting infrastructure development instead of carrying out combing operations in the jungles. The Chhattisgarh government has been slow paced in its approach and despite several requests from the CRPF, it has not increased the pace of the road work.

The government has appointed small-time contractors who lack the basic infrastructure to lay out roads at a quick pace. There was a proposal made before the Chhattisgarh government to adopt to a new technology so that roads could be laid faster. However, it has been three years now since the proposal was made and the same is gathering dust in some babu's file.

If the technology suggested to the government of Chattisgarh had been implemented then a kilometre of road could have been laid in two days time. It was said during the presentation that the new technology would use state of the art technology and other techniques to ensure that a good quality road is laid out in quick time.

Sitting ducks:

With the government failing to adopt to new technology, the construction of roads is taking pace at a snail's pace. It takes nearly a week to lay a 1-kilometre road. Moreover, the government has allotted the work to several contractors who take up the road project in stretches. This adds further to the delay.

The delay in such projects only adds to the worries of the CRPF personnel. They are guarding the construction work and in turn, they become sitting ducks for Naxals. To add to their misery is that there is no human intelligence along these stretches that are available. The government is yet to rope in the local police to speak with villagers and coax them to provide human intelligence. While standing and guarding these roads, the flexibility factor to operate is also reduced considerably. This means the position of the jawans is always under threat.

OneIndia News