Resolution of UAVs operated by NTRO in Chattisgarh need improvement, CM tells Amit Shah

Official says Israeli UAVs were procured decades ago

Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel conveyed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday that there was need to improve the resolution of the cameras attached with the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provided by the Central government for use in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas.

The UAVs are operated by the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) from a command centre in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar. They aid the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the police in conducting operations against Maoists. The NTRO is a premier technical intelligence agency that reports to the Prime Minister’s Office through the National Security Adviser (NSA).

A senior government official said all UAVs were procured from an Israeli firm about a decade ago and their payload had not been expanded since. “We cannot retrofit the UAVs with extra cameras or tinker with the machine as it will be a violation of contract with the Israeli company. The images are provided to the police and the CRPF to plan their operations,” the official noted.

As many as 14 of the 27 districts in Chattisgarh are affected by LWE violence.

The Chief Minister met Mr. Shah at the latter’s residence in Delhi and requested him to sanction 13 additional battalions (around 13,000 personnel) of Central forces to establish camps in around 6,800 sq km “security vacuum” at Abujhmaad in south Chattisgarh.

“During the meeting, the Chief Minister also raised various issues, including increasing the communication facility in the Naxal affected areas, deployment of two more battalions of the CRPF in Bastar and formation of a ‘Bastariya’ Battalion,” a statement by the Chief Minister’s Office said. He also urged the Mr. Shah to resume the special assistance given to seven LWE affected districts of Chhattisgarh.

“Discontinuing the GST compensation to States will have an impact on the State’s economic condition. If funds are not available for development work in the Naxal-affected States, it will have a great impact on the State’s economy,” the statement quoted Mr. Baghel as saying.