By IANS
Raipur : For the first time, Chhattisgarh has completed survey of Abujhmad, a thickly forested area in Bastar region known to be a Maoist guerrilla nerve centre, a minister said Saturday.
Revenue Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said that government has just completed aerial survey of 237 villages in Abujhmad, located in the state’s southern region of Bastar, purely for revenue purposes as the government had earlier not managed to find access there.
Officials say it was Mughal emperor Akbar who last tried to survey Abujhmad for purposes of revenue collection but abandoned the work after finding it nearly impossible.
According to officials, Abujhmad area, spread in about 4,000 sq km, is reportedly a stronghold of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist that runs dozens of training camps there.
The forests also reportedly serve as a hideout for frontline Maoist leadership.
“Abujhmad is so thickly forested terrain that it was never accessed. Now, we are in process of preparing maps of the forest with the help of recently clicked photographs,” Agrawal told IANS.
He added that out of 237 villages, 190 are located in Narayanpur district, 39 in Bijapur and eight in Dantewada. As per the survey, 30 villages are deserted while 207 inhabited by tribal groups.
“After preparing a detailed map of Abujhmad on the basis of aerial survey, the revenue department will embark on a ground survey which will be a tough assignment considering the area has Maoist dominance,” he said.
The minister parried the question about the aerial pictures having details of rebel training camps and terror infrastructure locations. “The survey was purely to prepare land records of Abujhmad,” said Agrawal.
“We are now getting ready for the ground survey to prepare land records of Abujhmad villages. Till date, we have no idea what’s the count of total population in the region. After ground survey everything will become clear,” he said.