Berhampur: Security surveillance in Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border areas has been intensified by the police ahead of the twin elections for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly in the state, a senior officer said, Sunday.
Joint checkings by the police of the two states have been carried out in border areas in Ganjam and Gajapati districts following the direction of the Election Commission of India, he said. Odisha DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi held a daylong meeting with the SPs of Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Boudh and Berhampur about poll preparedness.
The simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and the state will be held May 13 and 20 in these areas. The DGP said the joint patrolling was going on along the inter-state boundary after the coordination meeting with the SPs of the border districts of both states. Sarangi said they would give special focus on Kandhamal and Boudh districts because of the movement of Maoists. “We are chalking out a plan for the deployment of forces during the polls. We will deploy adequate security personnel to ensure free elections in these districts,” the DGP said. The combing operation in the vulnerable areas was going on, he said. Twenty-five companies of Central forces from Odisha have moved to other states, like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh, to deploy in the first phase of the polls held, April 19.
The police have launched a special drive to crack down on ganja smuggling and plantation of the narcotic substance in the areas. From January till now, around 340 quintals of ganja have been seized and around 700 acres of ganja plantations destroyed by the police, he said. Static surveillance teams and rapid action forces (RAF) are also deployed to keep track of the ganja smuggling, he said, adding that 4,300 warrants have been executed in the five districts during the period.
