A construction machine set ablaze by Maoists in Ganjam. Telegraph picture

Berhampur, Jan. 21: Maoists seem to be concentrating on targeting contractors of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Two days after they attacked the camp office of a contractor in Borda village in Badagada police station limits, the rebels last night struck at Birikote village in Baibali panchayat, Bhanjanagar sub-division in Ganjam and torched a construction vehicle.

“About 25 to 30 Maoists, including 15 women, attacked the construction camp of Subala Pradhan, a contractor for the PMGSY and torched the machine after sprinkling diesel on it. The armed group came to the spot around 11.30pm. They vandalised the camp for nearly 45 minutes. But they did not harm three employees — the operator, the cleaner and the helper — who were in the camp,” said Subash Jamadar, sub-divisional police officer, Bhanjanagar.

This is the first time that the Maoists have struck in the Bhanjanagar police sub-division area, he said.

The machine operator said: “Armed Maoists woke me up and dragged me from the camp. They said they would gun me down if I did not obey their orders. I was asked to drive the machine from the camp area to a nearby field. We had stored about 300 litres of diesel in the office. They brought the diesel cans, sprinkled the fuel over the machine and torched the vehicle-cum-machine.”