Maoist bandh peaceful in Bhadrachalam Agency

Khammam: People in the Bhadrachalam Agency area in Khammam district heaved a sigh of relief as the bandh called by CPI Maoists on Friday passed off peacefully. The Maoists called for bandh in ‘Dandakaranya’, spread across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra, in protest against the Polavaram project and the alleged harassment of tribals in the name of anti-Maoist operations. No untoward incidents were reported in the region during the bandh. It may be recalled here that the Maoists resorted to large-scale campaign for the success of the bandh recently. They put up posters in several areas in the region appealing to the people to participate in the bandh. On Friday morning, posters were seen near Cherla mandal headquarters. In the posters, the Maoists stated that the fight would continue till tribals got their due rights over ‘jal’, ‘jangal’ and ‘zameen’ (water, forest and land). The posters also stated that the Maoists were against mining of iron and bauxite ores in the forests, which not only displaces tribals but also would be harmful to environment.

The Maoists also called for an agitation against the government for displacing tribals in the name of projects such as Polavaram and Kanthanapalli.