Govt to clear Red road stretch

From The Telegraph ASHUTOSH MISHRA

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 8: The administration mounted a massive operation to clear the roads in the Red zone stretching from Rayagada to Malkangiri as the week-long anniversary celebrations of People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA), the military arm of the Maoists, drew to an end today. “This is necessary for the restoration of normal road transport which had been virtually paralysed in many areas for the past one week,” said an official from Koraput where not a single bus plied on major routes connecting the district with Malkangiri on one side and Andhra Pradesh on the other. Sources said while policemen lent a helping hand, the administration in certain areas had to engage labourers to clear the roads of huge tree trunks and boulders placed by the rebels to prevent the entry of police into their bastions. The problem of road obstruction was particularly acute in Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon areas of Koraput district besides the 120-km stretch connecting Jeypore and Malknagiri. Officials in Malkangiri, the district worst hit by the Maoist menace, said they had taken up the job of de-clogging the roads with the focus on the 100-km stretch linking the district headquarter with Mottu lying on the southernmost tip of the state. This area patrolled by the Border Security Force jawans has seen at least two major landmine blasts in the recent past making it completely unsafe for commuters after sunset. “There are at least three heavily fortified police stations guarded by BSF men in this belt but people still don’t feel secure. There was hardly any traffic on the road connecting Mottu with Malknagiri during the past one week as no one dared to take this route out of fear. Besides the road was dug up at several places by the rebels who also felled trees to block the movement of vehicles,” said a senior official. Sources said despite PLGA week having come to an end, security remained tight in the Maoist country with police and paramilitary jawans combing forests and searching villages known to shelter Maoists. “We are not going to let our guard down. In fact, we will be intensifying the combing operation,” said a police officer. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101209/jsp/orissa/story_13275812.jsp