The Centre is planning to launch security operations on a large scale against the Maoists in the coming days. Union home minister Rajnath Singh will meet the chief ministers of four Maoist affected states – Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and the newly created state of Telangana – along with their chief secretaries and top security brass on Monday, February 9, to plan out a seamless coordination between the states' security forces and the central armed police forces.

Joint security operations against the Maoists have failed in the past because of ill-planned coordination and overlapping of jurisdiction across the state's borders. The aim, sources said, is that the Maoists could be holed up in their respective strongholds and engaged in fight or are forced to surrender and do not escape action by using contiguous state borders.

"Major coordinated operations are expected to take place in contiguous regions of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana as the main force of the Maoists– The people's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) –is located in these areas along with their major training camps and safe hideouts for central leadership," sources said.

In the meeting, Singh is expected to ensure that the border sealing between the states remains tight and coordinated operations take place simultaneously without any trouble.

The new union home secretary, LC Goyal, given his past experience of five years in the ministry as joint secretary (internal security), is expected to oversee and fine tune the new offensive against the Maoists along with security advisor, K Vijay Kumar, former director general of the central reserve police force (CRPF).

The security operations have become a necessity, sources said, as the Maoists are successfully trying to gain base in the newly created state of Telangana, in whose creation they had lent an active support and thus gained a lot of clout in the administration.

"It is important to launch operations before they again become a formidable force taking help of the administrative chaos in the newly created state of Telangana," sources said.

The central armed police forces (CAPFs), led by central reserve police force (CRPF) have already been told to remain ready for sustained and coordinated operations that can begin as early as in March this year.

"Militarily Maoists are on a weak ground as a lot of their energy has been sapped by concerted security operations and operations may prove decision this time in breaking their back," said a security force official.