Chhattisgarh gets chopper for anti-Maoist operation

Raipur: The government of Chhattisgarh has signed an agreement with Mesco Airlines to use a 26-seater chopper for anti-Maoist operations, a senior government official said Tuesday.
'Mesco Airlines and the Chhattisgarh government signed a written agreement on Sep 17 to use the company's MI-172 26-seater chopper for a period of one year at the monthly cost of Rs.9 million,' Anil Tuteja, Chhattisgarh government's director of aviation, told IANS.
He said that the chopper will be based at Jagdalpur in the Maoist stronghold of Bastar and will be used only for anti-Maoist operations.
A home department official said the chopper would mainly be used for surveillance in the interiors of the heavily forested Bastar region spread across 40,000 sq km.
With Monday's agreement, Chhattisgarh has become the second Indian state after Andhra Pradesh to have a chopper facility to take on Maoist guerrillas.
18/09/07 IANS/Monsters and Critics.com, UK

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Categories: New Sep 2007