Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 15: To intensify anti-Maoist operations in left wing extremist-affected Malkangiri district, the state government Thursday decided to complete the Gurupriya bridge by June 2017.
This decision was taken at the meeting of unified command held under the chairmanship of chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi here.
State DGP KB Singh, development commissioner R Balakrishnan, joint director of central intelligence bureau, works secretary, IGs of BSF, CRPF, operations, state intelligence bureau director and other senior police officials attended the meeting.
“Due to some technical problem, the construction work of Gurupriya bridge was halted for some time. But, now the work is going in the right direction. We hope that it will be completed by June 2017, if we maintain the same progress,” Padhi said after the meeting.
Anti-Maoists operational issues pending between the state and central paramilitary forces were also broadly discussed, he added.
The home department has been asked to provide all necessary security arrangements to ensure smooth work at the bridge site, sources said.
During the meeting, the government chalked out a detailed strategy to intensify anti-Maoist operations involving district police, BSF and CRPF jawans in 19 naxal-hit districts, the sources stated.
Gurupriya bridge is being constructed in a cut-off area of Malkangiri district. A blueprint for combing in 19 districts will also be prepared, added Padhi. The people of Malkangiri district had a long-standing demand for the construction of a bridge. The foundation stone for the bridge at Gurupriya was laid way back in 1982 by the then chief minister JB Patnaik and again by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2000. The 910-metre long Gurupriya bridge project is currently estimated at `188 crore and is aimed at facilitating access to over 25,000 tribals living in 151-odd villages that are cut off from the mainland of Malkangiri after Chitrakonda reservoir was constructed in 1964 for Balimela Hydel Project.
The government had entrusted the construction work to a private company which left the project midway due to Maoist threat.
“Now that the works department has taken up the construction with adequate security by the BSF, the work is going on in full swing. On its completion, there will be direct road communication to 151 cut-off villages as a result of which the people of these villages will have more livelihood options,” an official of works department said.
According to sources, the CPI (Maoist) has a strong hold in the region. The last Maoist ambush in the region had taken place August 26, 2015 to halt the construction work of Gurupriya bridge in which three BSF personnel along with a civilian were killed.
