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Rebel attack repulsed in forests of Bastar

K. Srinivas Reddy

Security forces reach damaged power supply tower

HYDERABAD: Security forces repulsed a Maoist guerilla attack deep in the Bastar forests on Saturday and reached the location where the rebels had earlier blasted a 220 kVA power supply tower, plunging four districts in southern Chhattisgarh into darkness.

Heavy duty equipment is being moved to Tower 717, about 14 km from Barsoor town on the banks of the Indravati. Trees will have to be cleared for at least 6km to ensure the transport of cement, steel, cranes and poclains. “All approaches could have been mined and our teams are moving very cautiously. We do expect some resistance,” Giridhari Nayak, IG of police overseeing the counter-Maoist operations, said from Raipur.

Police and Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) authorities face a daunting task in erecting the tower in the Maoist bastion. The location of the tower is considered as gateway to Abuz Maad, the base area of the rebels.

The terrain is hostile and the rebels have mined the beaten tracks.

The security forces led by Dantewada SP Rahul Sharma defused a powerful landmine while on their way to the tower. Most of the HT line towers are located across the hilly terrain and they will have to protect about 1000 officials and workers engaged in reconstruction of the tower. The work is expected to take at least a week. “We have adequate strength to protect the CSEB workers” was all Mr. Nayak would say to a question on the number of policemen deployed.

The blasting of the tower disrupted life in Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Jagdalpur districts. Security has been stepped up at all vital installations, especially at the 23 government-run relief camps where an estimated 50,000 tribals have taken shelter.

Meanwhile, police exchanged fire with Maoists in Bairamgadh division, about 90 km from Barsoor, and shot dead three rebels after a rebel camp was raided. Elsewhere, in the northern part of Chhattisgarh, a Maoist couple, Samilal and Sheela, surrendered before the DIG of Surguja, along with two weapons and a claymore mine.

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