A grim journey no more
CRPF 151 Bn built a ropeway across the Chintavagu stream on Telangana-Chhattisgarh borders to ensure connectivity to Adivasi hamlets and for the movements of troops
Khammam: Ina significant undertaking, the CRPF 151 battalion constructed a ropeway across the Chintavagu stream on the boundaries between Telangana and Chhattisgarh to facilitate military movements and to provide access to Adivasi hamlets.
Around 10,000 Adivasis from 35 hamlets in Chintavagu, near Pamed, which is 18 kilometers from Cherla Mandal, are forced into the jungles during the monsoon season, which runs from June to January. Adivasis used to use country boats to cross the creek, but occasionally it proved deadly.
The region lies under the Pamed police station limits in the Usur block of the Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, which is impacted by naxalism. Adivasis rely on the hospitals in Cherla for medical care and go to Pamed, which is 110 km away from Bijapur, for their everyday necessities.
In an effort to combat the Maoist threat, the bases at Chintavagu and Dharmaram have recently been erected on opposite sides of the stream. The soldiers encountered difficulties crossing the stream during the monsoon and are still blocked off from the outside world.
The ropeway project was started by CRPF (Chhattisgarh) Inspector General of Police Saket Kumar Singh as a solution to the issue, and it was overseen by CRPF 151 Bn Commandant Pradyuman Kumar and Deputy Inspector General of Police Sunit Kumar Rai.
A group of twenty-five engineers from CRPF 151 Bn and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) unit built the 200-meter ropeway. Under the direction of ITBP assistant Commandant Prem Kumar, the work began on May 2 and was finished on a war footing on June 4. Four people might be carried at once by the ropeway carrier.
About two years ago, the work began on building a bridge over Chintavagu to guarantee ongoing access to Adivasi settlements. However, because Maoists have been making disruptions to obstruct the bridge’s construction, it is currently unfinished.
According to Ayodhya Singh who recently launched the ropeway, locals can now cross the creek to complete their everyday tasks during the rainy season.