Peace process begins in Maoist-hit village
The new camp, officials said, is significant for the forces’ growing foothold in the region and will help in establish their presence in a hostile area.
Months after breaching the Maoist bastion of Puvarti in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, security forces on Saturday made further inroads in the region with the opening of a new camp in Golaguda village, one of the remotest parts of the district.

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The new camp in Golaguda is about seven km deeper that Puvarti into the jungles of Sukma and is expected to give a significant boost to the government’s campaign against Left-wing extremism, officials familiar with the development said.
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“A new camp has been set up in Golaguda today which is further inside Puvarti. We will soon be providing all amenities to the residents of the village. They will get all benefits that they were deprived of because of Naxals,” one of the officials cited above said requesting anonymity.
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The new camp, officials said, is significant for the forces’ growing foothold in the region and will help security forces in establishing presence in a hostile area.
Top Maoist commanders Madhvi Hidma and Barse Sukka — both independently carrying rewards of over ₹1 crore — were residents of Puvarti and helped recruit dozens for the Maoist forces. While for the Maoists the village was always a part of their “core liberated zone”, for the security forces it was a village they could never breach until February 16 when they set up camp in the village.
The development coincided with the installation of the first television sets in Puvarti, and two other villages, on Saturday, ahead of Union home minister Amit Shah three-day visit to the state.
The state administration installed two television sets at the houses of two residents.
“Through the Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA), solar-powered appliances such as lights and fans were distributed to families in Puvarti. Additionally, Doordarshan TV sets were installed in Puvarti, Tekalgudiyum, and Silger, with two sets in each village,” Sukma district magistrate Devesh Kumar Dhruv said, calling it a “significant achievement”.
“People watched the news on Doordarshan while children saw cartoons for the first time. The television sets were installed after the village was electrified through solar energy,” he said.
“Within the next 3 months, the village will get regular electricity wires,” Dhruv further said.
Shah, who is scheduled to reach the state late on Saturday night, is set to review the ongoing anti-Maoists operations as part of the Centre’s resolve to end Left-wing extremism in the country by March 26.
“The home minister will hold a meeting with the agencies and visit different left-wing extremism (LWE) affected areas. On December 15, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah will meet Naxal-affected people at the Circuit House in Jagdalpur and will also meet those who have joined the mainstream by abandoning the path of violence and laying down arms,” an official familiar with the details of Shah’s visit said requesting anonymity.
