HYDERABAD: Five days before Independence Day, Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) CV Anand hoisted the Indian national flag at a height of 650 feet on Karregutta Hills, along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, on Monday. The dense forest area of Karregutta was once a major Maoist stronghold and one of the most heavily mined areas under the control of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).For the first time in the past 50 years, the national flag was hoisted on the Telangana side of Karregutta Hills, which stretches along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border. For several decades, Karregutta remained inaccessible to government officials as it was a safe haven for Maoists until a few months ago.After the Central government launched Operation Kagar, several Maoists were either killed in encounters or surrendered before security forces.This paved the way for development in the area. As a first step, a road that was being temporarily developed from Pamunuru, the base point of Karregutta Hills, has now been extended for 20 kilometres up to the border of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.For the first time, a team of inter-departmental officials led by DGP Anand, along with senior officials from the CRPF, Intelligence and Forest departments, reached the area by road in a convoy of vehicles through extremely difficult and largely unmotorable terrain. Road construction work is still under way.Previously, senior officers used helicopters to reach the dense forest or take an aerial view of the area before returning.Now that security forces have taken control of the once-hostile high-altitude forest hills, which witnessed decades of bloodshed during exchanges of fire between police and Naxals, officials are planning further development in the area.“In this serene forest area, without deforestation, tourism can be developed to bring development and employment to this area. Efforts are being made to cover the road in a BT road with culverts,” Anand said.The visit was conducted amid tight security provided by the state’s anti-Naxal commandos, the Greyhounds, and the CRPF.
