In the dense jungles of Bastar,troops involved in counter insurgency operations no longer worry about either low battery level of their wireless sets or lighting equipment.
An assortment of solar energy equipment provided by Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) under the Department of Energy of the State Government is carried by the troops to keep the batteries of wireless sets and lighting equipment charged at all times. Bastar’s energy supply requirements had been in focus for a long time in Chhattisgarh as there are many remote regions where conventional power supply systems cannot be established in inhospitable terrain.
As a result, State Chief Minister Raman Singh decided to hugely promote use of solar power equipment in the insurgency infested regions. “Innovative solutions to energy requirements in Chhattisgarh has kept the State as a front-runner in the country's Non Conventional Energy space,” Secretary, Energy, Information Technology and Public Relations Aman Kumar Singh told The Pioneer.
He said that the feedback from the end users of solar energy equipment keeps the agencies under Department of Energy find even innovative ways to cater to mass users. “We would continue to innovate and maintain the high standards of service and reliability with a high end user focus on their needs,” Singh said.
The use of solar energy equipment in Bastar for various purposes had been a huge success for the Chhattisgarh Government, he said. “The wireless sets are charged by the jawans on the move besides other vital equipment as they cannot carry diesel supplies with them. In fact , the lighting equipment in 60 to 65 base camps of the state and para military forces inside Bastar's jungles are all charged by solar energy equipments,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CREDA," SK Shukla said.
He said that the troops need to keep the ‘medicated packs’ which are used for pressing against bullet wounds and injuries to control bleeding. These ‘medicated packs’ are stored in freezers in the base camps which are powered by solar energy equipment supplied by CREDA. This apart, all the police stations in Bastar region are solar powered as insurgents snap off power supply to these police stations before they strike.
All the offices of collectors and IGs in Bastar have solar powered systems to operate lights and fans.