CPI (Maoist) cadres blocked traffic at two places in the Visakha Agency area and cut off the road connection between Andhra and Orissa, digging up the road near the Essar company's pipeline near Chitrakonda.
These incidents on Saturday night followed Friday's incidents on the Chintalamma ghat near Koyyuru which saw burning of two lorries carrying material of Essar pipelines and another vehicle engaged by the police.
An APSRTC bus from Paderu to Mumpa was also detained at the spot but was not damaged. On the other side of the border, Maoists blocked traffic in the area abutting Andhra in Rayagada district and reportedly pasted posters in Narayanapatna warning that they would repeat Dantewada in Orissa if ‘Operation green hunt' was not stopped.
This was the second day of the protest week being observed by the Maoists against ‘Operation green hunt', which the Maoists claimed would see the Girijans evicted from their traditional habitat of forests. This time, the Maoists are resorting to violence and the locals consider the Maoists teams almost “action teams”.
The Visakha Agency area is now in the grip of fear due to incidents that happened during the last two days and a few days earlier when they destroyed a coffee nursery. It is suspected that the Maoists' east division action teams' secretary Ravi is planning and leading the operations.
On Saturday night, a group of about 15 Maoists first went to Annavaram and cut down trees and placed them on the road.
About 50 local militia members helped them. From there, the Maoists went to Jallurimetta on the Chintapalli-Narsipatnam road in a jeep and blocked the roads by cutting the trees, again with the help of local militia.
