Palamu: Security forces in Budha Pahar area in Jharkhand's Palamu district have encouraged locals to buy horses to earn a livelihood by delivering goods to the security forces' camps high up in the hills. The security forces have appealed to the villagers of half a dozen villages to buy horses, so that more and more people can be provided employment by connecting them with the supply line.
While many villagers have bought the horses, more than three dozen youths are doing the work of delivering the goods to the camps on foot every day. The security forces are providing a remuneration of Rs 100 per trip to those who deliver goods on foot and Rs 500 to those who deliver goods with the help of horses.
Villager Sudhir said that he is delivering goods daily on foot to the security forces camp, which is helping in employment generation. Garmeen Islam too said that the transportation job is helping them to earn a livelihood. He further said that it takes him about an hour to climb Budha Pahar to reach the camp. Villager Mushtaq said that the villagers have started buying horses to deliver the material.
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Villagers from Kusmi area of Chhattisgarh are buying a horse for four to five thousand rupees. Police and security forces have also appealed to the villagers to buy horses, so that it would be easier to deliver goods. Rajkumar Lakra, IG, Palamu Range, said that an initiative has been taken to provide employment to people through camps.
If people connect with the supply line of the camps of the security forces, then they will not have to migrate for employment, the IG, Palamu Range said. He said that in the coming six to eight months, a road and a culvert is being built in the area so that people do not face any inconvenience in commuting. Budha Pahar is located in the Garhwa district of Jharkhand.
Its border is with Latehar and Balrampur in Chhattisgarh. It takes people more than two hours to climb the mountain to travel across the state border. Korva and Birijiya tribes form the majority of the population in the area. In 2015-16, the security forces recovered a large number of Naxalites' horses. More than half a dozen police camps have been set up in Budha Pahar and its surrounding areas.
Cobra force and CRPF have been deployed in these camps. Police camps have also been set up at Budha, Tidiya, Navatoli, Baheratoli, Khapri Mahua in the area. These camps are situated on a range of mountains, where there is no road to access the areas. To reach these camps one has to go on foot.
