Kanker. Two vacant camps of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-affected Kanker district have been converted into a school and a hostel for children, officials said on Sunday. The BSF, which is heavily deployed in the district to curb Left Wing Extremism, has vacated two camps, also known as company operating bases, located at Bondanar and Kadhai Khodra villages in Antagarh area, officials said.
In this regard, an official said, “The BSF has moved its Bondanar camp to Padar village in Raoghat area and shifted the Kadhai Khodra camp to the forests of neighboring Narayanpur district while advancing in the core areas of the Maoists.” He said that the Bodanar camp was established in 2010 and it was shifted in February last year, while the Kadhai Khodra camp was established in 2015 and it was shifted in February this year.
Antagarh Additional Collector B.S. Uikey said on Sunday, “Out of the two vacated camps, the one at Kadhai Khodara village is being used as a government high school from the current academic session, while the other was converted into a ‘pre-matric’ hostel for boys last year. 33 students, including 16 girls, study in Classes IX and X at the Kadhai Khodara school. A total of 75 boys from Class VI to XII live in the Bondanar hostel.” He said the government is using pre-fabricated structures for schools at various places in all districts of the Bastar region, and these BSF camps with pre-fabricated structures are excellent for use as educational institutions.
Uike said both the camps have all the facilities including playground for children, drinking water, toilets for men and women. Additional Superintendent of Police (Antagarh) Jaiprakash Barhai said the shifting of the two camps is a result of security personnel strengthening their hold in the areas around the existing establishments and development work has been facilitated by pushing back the Naxals.
Barhai said, “Gradually more camps will be shifted to the interiors to win the battle against left wing extremism. It is good that the administration is using the vacated camps for various purposes, especially education. Another vacated camp is being planned to be used as a power substation.” Professor Girishkant Pandey, head of the department of defence studies at Government NPG Science College, Raipur, said, “This is a good move because earlier when the BSF was deployed for anti-Naxal operations in Kanker in 2009-10, government schools were used as their temporary camps. This was criticised as the building became a target of Maoists.”