Bhawanipatna: Panic gripped people Thursday after Maoists posters were sighted at Kerapai panchayat under T Rampur block in Kalahandi district opposing the visit of the district collector to attend a public hearing camp.
The posters released by the Nagabali division of Maoists were found stuck on the walls of the panchayat office and two shops in the area at daybreak Thursday.
In his bid to reach out to the people, district collector Anjan Kumar Manik had sought to organise a district level public hearing camp January 8 (Monday) in Kerpai panchayat under T Rampur block.
The Maoist while opposing the grievance camp and the collector’s visit has called four days of bandh in the area from January 6 to January 9.
They have threatened to foil the movement of any government or private vehicles other than ambulances in the area during the bandh.
They have also warned of severe consequences if anybody refrains from obeying the order. This apart, during the bandh no government officials or public representatives will be allowed to move in the area.
In these posters the ultras alleged that even as 70 years have passed since the country achieved independence no collector ever visited the area or taken up development work for the welfare of the people. They also claimed that the scheduled public hearing camp could never resolve the problems of common people.
The present collector’s visit is not aimed at development in the area but to hand over Kutrumali mines to some multinational companies, the ultras alleged in these posters. PNN
