New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) Central paramilitary forces have taken up positions to begin the offensive against Maoist guerrillas in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in the first half of December, senior officers here say.

The schedule has been worked out, forces have been deployed and, if everything goes well, the first phase of the operations could take off as early as next fortnight. 

"The battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) had already taken their positions in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, from where we would first start the operations," a senior officer dealing with anti-Maoist operations told IANS on condition of strict anonymity. 

The BSF, ITBP and CRPF would be jointly operating in Chhattisgarh, he added. 

Four battalions from the ITBP and at least two from BSF have moved to Chhattisgarh. Each battalion comprises 700 personnel. The CRPF is present in large numbers in Chhattisgarh, the most affected by Maoist violence. 

"In Maharashtra the onus of taking on the Maoists largely lies on the shoulders of the CRPF. The force has moved additional three battalions in the state," the officer added. 

The CRPF, one the world's largest paramilitary forces, has 207 battalions. 

Another senior officer, who was not authorised to speak to media, said: "The operations will be jointly launched in synergy in both the states. It will be coordinated and additional forces would be rushed as per the requirement." 

Asked about the launch of offensive operations, the officer said: "It will not be launched nationwide. In first half of December we would be covering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh." 

"After the setting up of a government in Jharkhand, which is presently undergoing elections, we will take up operations there," he said, adding that no timeline had been set for commencing operations in the state. 

And, once the election process is complete in Jharkhand, the BSF and CRPF battalions which are presently posted there will undergo specific training related to anti-Maoist operations and will be deployed in Orissa. 

"Once they are trained, we would be deploying them in Orissa for the offensive against the Maoists. All the operations would be in phases and one after the other. The plan is to capture and control Maoist controlled areas in the affected states one by one," the official added. 

Senior officials confided to IANS that it will not be before March when the security forces will launch their operations in all the Maoist-affected states. 

According to rough estimations, over 60,000 security personnel from the central paramilitary forces would be in acction against 6,000-7,000 armed Maoist cadres. Officials say the Maoists are armed with heavy as well sophisticated weapons like light machine guns, AK-47s, AK-56s and Insas rifles. 

Maoists annually extort Rs.2,000 crore in India: Chhattisgarh DGP

Raipur, Nov 28 (IANS) Maoists annually extort up to Rs.2,000 crore (Rs.20,000 million) across India, mostly targeting iron and coal mining companies, infrastructure project contractors and 'tendu patta' businessmen, says Chhattisgarh Director General of Police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan.

"The per year extortion earnings of Maoists is up to Rs.2,000 crore, with Jharkhand being the top contributor," Ranjan, a former additional director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), told IANS in an interview. 

"This is a 'guesstimate' based on cash books and other vital papers recovered by police from Maoists in recent months." 

Ranjan said a major chunk of the extortion money comes from iron ore and coal businessmen, contractors of roads and other infrastructure projects who have business activities in areas infested by Maoist rebels and tendu patta businessmen. 

Tendu patta is the leaf used for making 'bidis' or leaf-rolled cigarettes, a business worth millions in Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region. 

"Around 20 percent of the amount extorted is siphoned off by grassroots Maoist cadres who pass on the remaining 80 percent to the top leadership of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)," claimed Ranjan, who has been police chief of Chhattisgarh since July 2007. 

"The CPI-Maoist uses the extortion amount for smuggling ammunition even from some foreign countries, party meetings, boosting urban network and to care for a vast publication section, including a set of experts who manage the Maoist website, plus funding its legal cell that takes care of court cases against thousands of jailed Maoists across the country." 

Ranjan also denied reports that the security forces would carry out aerial attacks on Maoist bases in the state. 

"The forces would not make aerial attacks in Chhattisgarh as Maoist areas are so thickly forested that you can't spot the ground from the air," he said. 

"There will be no aerial pounding on Maoist bases in Bastar, choppers will be used mainly for evacuation and taking out injured cops to hospital from the battle zone," the officer said. 

Bastar, a mineral-rich region spread over 40,000 sq km, has been dogged by extreme poverty for years, contributing to a growth in Maoist activity. A string of attacks have been carried out by Maoists at police bases in recent years.