The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Maoists blast BSNL tower in Malkangiri

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 27, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Maoists blast BSNL tower in Malkangiri

Special Correspondent

Normal life hit in interior areas on day one of economic blockade

BHUBANESWAR: On the first day of their two-day economic blockade agitation, activists of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) triggered a blast partially damaging a communication tower of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited in Balimela area of Malkangiri district of Orissa on Tuesday.

Services not hit

The communication tower on the outskirts of the town was partially damaged as only one of the three bombs that had been planted by the extremists went off.

The Balimela police seized the two unexploded bombs from the scene. Telephone services, however, were not affected, police said.

According to sources, the Maoists had reportedly drawn up a plan cause damage to the power house at Balimela.

However, they failed to execute the plan due to security arrangements made by the authorities.

Normal life, however, was badly affected in interior areas of Malkangiri with little movement of traffic. Maoists had felled trees on Monday night blocking the main roads in the Kalimela and Motu areas.

Although no untoward incident was reported from other naxal-affected districts of the State, security has been tightened in those regions to prevent any Maoist attack.

The Left wing extremists have resorted to the economic blockade agitation to oppose the Special Economic Zone policy and the economic policies of the Central government.

Leaflets circulated

In the leaflets circulated in different areas recently, they had also expressed concern over the police firing at Kalinga Nagar in Orissa and Nandigram and Singur in West Bengal and criticised both the Central and State governments for allegedly favouring private companies by displacing tribals and farmers.

In the wake of their preparation for the agitation, the Maoists had blown up a goods train locomotive at the Darliput railway station in Koraput district and killed a contractor and two villagers in Deogarh district of the State last week.

Two suspected Maoists had gone to the High Court premises in Cuttack and left several bundles of leaflets urging people to support their agitation.

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