Choppers are proving very handy for security forces in their fight against rebels in the sprawling forested regions of Bastar specially in rushing the critically injured jawans to Jagdalpur Medical College Hospital, the nearest worthwhile healthcare facility in the southern part of the state facing Maoist rebellion for the last three decades.
Notably, rushing the security forces Jawans injured in encounter with rebels to hospital through road is a cumbersome task fraught with fear of being ambushed by insurgents any time. In this scenario, helicopter cover provided by the Air Force is the first as well as the last option for security forces to fly out safely from the inner parts to divisional headquarters at Jagdalpur or even State capital Raipur.
Malaria is another scourge taking heavy toll of security jawans engaged in anti insurgency operations. Thousands of Central Reserve Police Force, Chhattisgarh Armed Forces, CoBRA battalion, Border Security Forces as well as Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans are living in camps set up in forested areas prone to Malaria. Hundreds of Jawans annually fall prey to this endemic disease due to polluted water, forest cover and unprotected living condition. Due to lack of immediate health care facilities in remote areas jawans posted their reaches in to precarious health condition and in that situation Air Force’s chopper becomes the ultimate mode to lift them to Jagdalpur for treatment.
Another area where these choppers are proving most handy is maintaining the ration supply line as rebels often target Jawans as well as vehicle carrying ration through roads.