Staff Reporter
BERHAMPUR: Posing themselves as naxals, some miscreants have tried to stall the establishment of second Navodaya Vidyalaya at Balimela in Malkangiri, the naxal-dominated tribal district of south Orissa.
Speaking to The Hindu, Malkangiri Collector Nitin B. Jawale said that some miscreants used the phone of an innocent tribal to make threat calls in the name of Maoists. The phone calls made to the authorities of the Balimela Hydro Electricity Project.
The calls had deterred the process of establishment of the vidyalaya, Mr. Jawale said. “The menace of fake naxals had become more troublesome in the district and the persons behind these recent calls in the name of naxals would be tracked down soon.” When contacted, sources close to Maoists in south Orissa also claimed that they were not behind these mischievous calls in their name and wanted strong action against the miscreants. The Collector reiterated the proposed vidyalaya would surely start functioning at Balimela from the current academic session.
Quarters issue
The Malkangiri district administration has planned to run the school in the unused quarters of the Balimela Hydel Project till its new building is constructed. The Collector has approached the project officials to hand over 20 unused quarters on temporary basis for the purpose. Ten days ago, the administration ordered the unauthorized occupants of quarters to vacate them. Following this notice the executive engineer of the Balimela project started receiving a series of threat calls in the name of naxals. The caller who claimed to be a top naxal leader asked the authorities not to vacate some particular quarters.
