Bhubaneswar, July 29: Public transport kept off roads and shops downed shutters as normal life was hit in parts of southern Orissa on the second day of the Maoists’ observance of Martyrs’ Week today.
Sources said both government and private buses stayed off roads in the rebel bastions of Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Gajapati districts. Private bus owners also avoided the interior routes and business suffered as shops remained closed in many areas in Kandhamal and Gajapati.
Reports reaching here said some Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) buses were diverted through Andhra Pradesh keeping the safety of passengers in mind. Bus services were restricted in many other districts known for Maoist activities. Roads were dug up at places in Malkangiri to prevent the movement of security forces engaged in combing operation.
“Most of these roads are in the interior areas such as Mottu and MV-79. The repair work cannot be undertaken immediately for there could be landmines hidden at places. This is also affecting patrolling by the security forces,” said a police officer.
Shops downed shutters at many places in Tumudibandh, Kotagarh and Bramhanigaon areas of Kandhamal district, though the police claimed the Martyrs’ Week did not affect normal life in any significant manner. Rebels have stepped up their activities in Kandhamal ever since the 2008 communal riots in the district.
In their strongholds, the Maoists put up posters condemning the state government for going back on the 14-point agreement that had paved the way for the release of former Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna from rebel captivity. The posters said that the government was yet to release hundreds of tribal people languishing in jails despite having made a commitment.
The government’s failure to honour the agreement has also been criticised in the recent past by human rights activists such as professor G. Hargopal, who was one of the interlocutors who negotiated the release of Krishna. Hargopal and two other interlocutors chosen by the Maoists had hammered out the 14-point agreement with senior government officials who were keen to secure the release of the collector.