In a first, tricolour to be hoisted in Chhattisgarh's 13 Maoist-hit villages

Thirteen remote villages located in the Maoist-hit Bastar region of Chhattisgarh will witness hoisting of the national flag for the first time on the Independence Day on Thursday, the police said.

Setting up new camps of security forces in these villages in the last seven months has been paving the way for development of the respective areas, they said.

Tricolour will be hoisted in Nerlighat (Dantewada district), Panidobir (Kanker), Gundam, Putkel and Chhutvahi (Bijapur), Kasturmeta, Maspur, Irakbhatti and Mohndi (Narayanpur), Tekalgudem, Puvarti, Lakhapal and Pulanpad (Sukma) villages on Thursday where such event was not held ever in the past, inspector general of police of Bastar range Sundarraj P told PTI.

Security camps at these places were established after the Republic Day last year. All these newly-established camps have provided a new and vibrant identity to the region and its native population. The camps would act as a ray of hope for the young and old in building a peaceful and prosperous Bastar, he added.

The camps have been facilitating in taking the government welfare schemes to people, mainly tribals and also paved the way for the development of areas, he added.

Bastar division, comprising seven districts, has been struggling with the menace of Left Wing Extremism since over the past three decades.
Meanwhile, the state government has completed preparations in all the districts, including capital Raipur, to celebrate the Independence Day, a government public relations official here said.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai will hoist the national flag in the morning at the Police Parade ground in Raipur and receive the guard of honour by different units of security personnel.

Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao will hoist the national flag in Bilaspur, deputy CM Vijay Sharma in Jagdalpur (headquarter of Bastar district) and Union Minister of State Tokhan Sahu in Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district, he said.

Other ministers and MLAs will take part in Independence Day celebrations to be held at different places in the state, he added.

Security has been stepped up in the state, particularly in Maoist-affected areas, in view of the Independence Day celebration on Thursday, police said.