Naxal bandh hits life in south Odisha

Two IEDs defused; inter-State borders sealed to ensure security

Normal life was affected in south Odisha on Thursday following the bandh called by Maoists to protest against the recent anti-Naxal operations in which 30 ultras were killed.

The CPI (Maoist) central committee had given the bandh call in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra.

Buses cancelled

As a precautionary measure, the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation cancelled bus services plying in Maoist-infested districts of Malkangiri, Rayagada and Koraput. Though private buses and small vehicles plied on major roads, they avoided remote pockets. Inter-State buses from Jeypore and other places in Koraput district to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh remained off the road.

Maoists made attempts to target security personnel, who were on high alert during the bandh. They planted two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) near Hatamuniguda of Rayagada district. But the explosives were defused. Maoist banners and posters were found at the spot.

Block road

In Kandhamal district, Naxalites felled the trees to disrupt traffic on Baliguda-Muniguda road near Kurtamgarh. Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) personnel cleared the blocks to enable free flow of traffic.

In interior pockets of Malkangiri district, shops remained closed.

Security was heightened in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Nuapada, which border the Maoist-infested regions of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Inter-State borders were sealed. Patrolling and combing operations had been stepped up.