As the region, mainly Lalgarh and its adjacent places, are relatively new to the joint forces, they can't manoeuvre as quickly as the Maoists,' a senior state police official said on condition of anonymity.

Another major hurdle is that many villagers are not cooperating with the forces - a major constraint in gathering local intelligence.

The lack of tarred roads is another drawback. 'There's no metalled road in Lalgarh and other forested areas of the district. So free and safe movement is also not possible every time. There is always some risk factor involved for the security personnel,' he said.

A few days ago Chattradhar Mahato, leader of the Maoist-backed tribal body People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), demanded immediate withdrawal of the forces from Lalgarh and its adjacent areas, accusing the personnel of torturing innocent villagers in the name of nabbing Maoists.

Mahato also appealed to the state's ruling Left Front to resolve the issue by accepting the 21-point demand of the tribals, who were victims of police excesses last November after a landmine explosion targeted Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy.

'There are a few rural pockets in and around Lalgarh where armed Maoists are still operating even though security forces are carrying out flush out operations. These particular areas are still inaccessible to the forces,' a police source said.

The state government had launched the massive security operation against the left-wing extremists, who had virtually made areas in and around Lalgarh, about 200 km west of Kolkata, a 'free zone' since November. Despite the security operation, rebel activities have been going on unabated. Several Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) cadres and tribals have been killed by the Maoists on suspicion of being police informers.

(Soudhriti Bhabani can be contacted at soudhriti.b@ians.in)