About 56000 personnel to be deployed for CG polls

Raipur, October 10

About 560 companies (each comprising 80-100 personnel) of paramilitary forces will be deployed in Chhattisgarh for smooth conduction of first round of elections to be held on November 11. Besides, over 700 officials will also arrive along with these forces. The forces will start arriving after October 20.

The total strength of the paramilitary forces will be 44800-56000. The forces will be sent from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial security Force (CISF) and other units. Apart from these forces, state police personnel, Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and home guards will also be pressed in election duty, an official from Chhattisgarh Election Commission informed.

He said the number of companies to be sent in each constituency would be decided on the basis of local conditions. “We will press more number of personnel in hypersensitive and sensitive areas,” he said.

According to information, there will be four base camps for 560 companies at Raipur, Durg-Bhilai, Rajnandgaon and Jagdalpur.

DGP Ramnivas says the police will ensure peaceful conduction of polls, especially in naxal-infested regions. “We know that our role is vital in elections. As the Centre is providing adequate paramilitary forces for first round of elections, we will ensure to make their proper use,” he adds.

Ramnivas has also taken stock of poll preparations in all 27 districts of the state by holding talks with superintendents of police (SPs). He said hi-tech communication system will be used to keep a hawk’s eye on every activity of the forces engaged in election duty.

He has directed the SPs to make arrangements of transportation of paramilitary forces to their destinations besides mandatorily providing them radical facilities including health, makeshift toilets and potable water.

Notably, the Election Commission of India is conducting polls in two phases due to heightened Maoist activities in state. The ultras have already appealed to tribals to boycott the elections. Anticipating that the naxals could give shape to any major incident prior to elections or on the D-day, Ramnivas has reportedly alerted all the SPs and asked the intelligence department to closely monitor unusual activities in naxal-hit areas.