Bhubaneswar: Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay on Sunday claimed that the state police has brought over 80 per cent area of Maoist hotbed 'Swabhiman Anchal' in Malkangiri district under police cover.
He said the police has neutralised 17 Maoist leaders and 34 red rebels have surrendered this year.
Abhay, while addressing the inaugural session of the 62nd Senior Police Officers' Conference in Cuttack, asked the police force to continue with their ongoing operations and to remain prepared for any situation as the nature of Left-wing Extremism keeps changing.
Due to the improvement in the situation, the state government has written to the Centre to keep the five districts of Angul, Boudh, Deogarh, Nayagarh and Sambalpur out of the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme, he said.
Three company operating bases at Hantalguda, Jodambo and Gurasetu and a police station at Jodamba have been operationalised in Swabhiman Anchal after the inauguration of Gurupriya Setu, linking the cut-off area with the mainland.
The DGP said over 1,200 quintals of ganja and 34 kg of brown sugar have been seized this year and over 18,000 acres of illegal cannabis cultivation have been destroyed this year.
Praising the police personnel for performing their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said 47 policemen have laid down their lives in the line of duty and over 900 have donated plasma for the treatment of critical patients.
(With PTI Inputs)