Hot conditions confine Maoists to district borders

Dry deciduous forests at Kerameri ghats in summer  

The prevailing dry and hot conditions have confined the Maoists to the district borders shared with the Maharashtra.

It is said that taking shelter and surviving in the dry deciduous forests of Adilabad is tough for them as summer is the time when the trees drop their leaves, and absence of foliage enhances their visibility over long distances.

Along with this, drinking water sources in the forests have also dried. A strong informants’ system is also at work in the interior areas of the district.

The Maoists said to be therefore taking shelter at the district’s borders or retreated into Chattisgarh which is considered to be safe haven.

The police, meanwhile, intensified combing operations along the river Pranahitha to prevent the Maoists from entering into district crossing over.

Drinking water sources dried up in the forests which were main water source for the Maoists while moving in the deep forests. District police officers are closely monitoring the movements of the Maoists and their sympathizers in the wake of summer.

Recently, police had conducted free medical camp in the interior Maoists affected grampanchayat Mangi in Tiryani mandal.

The police move was also intended to send a strong message to the Maoists that they had penetrated into what was once strongholds and were getting the support of the local Adivasis.    

Police suspects that even today, some Adivasis of the interior areas in Tiryani mandal extending support to the Maoists to carry out their activities.

At the same time, police have also improved their informant network from the same villages to trace out the Maoist’s movements.

A senior police officer said, “Summer is tough time for Maoists every year, but this summer has added to their problems in terms of drinking water and taking shelter in the jungles”.

Giri Exp to connect Adivasi gudems

The Giri Express scheme, designed to improve connectivity to the interior Adivasi gudems with the mandal head quarters, will soon become operational.

It is being introduced by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor and will benefit the Adivasi gudems in Tiryani , Adilabad, Sirpur (U), Bela, Kerameri, Jainoor, Kautala and Tamsi mandals in the district.

Some of these interior Adivasi gudems like Mangi in Tiryani mandal, have Maoists actively moving around them. Giri Express vehicles will be operated on routes where RTC buses do not ply and the roads are not good.

As part of scheme, vehicles will be given to the unemployed youth of primitive tribal groups and vehicles will be operated to the interior tribal areas where RTC bus services are not being operated. The scheme was aimed to improve transportation and also save the lives of the Adivasis in emergencies.

ITDA, Utnoor project officer R.V Karnan said they were introducing ‘Giri Express’ service on twenty routes in the interior areas in first phase and will be extended to other routes later.

The ITDA, which has acquired 20 Tata Magic autos at a cost of Rs 75 lakh, is providing them to unemployed youth passed SSC from primitive tribal groups Kolam, Thorti and Mannerwar, on zero interest bank loans under the scheme thorough the local Village Samakyas, ensuring that the beneficiary is able to pay Rs 3,000 towards  repayment of the loan. The ITDA authorities also train them in driving and help to get a driving license.

The scheme which is being implemented under ‘Adima Gramala Abhivruddi Pathakam’ was aimed also save the lives of Adivasis in emergencies and to transport them to nearest hospitals where ambulances and RTC buses can’t go.

Selected Adivasi youth were instructed to shift the people in need of emergency, medical treatment, such as pregnant, there by encourage institutional deliveries, said Karnan.

Top cops use cells to lure Maoists

Top police officials of North Telangana are using their cell phone numbers as new strategy to lure the Maoists to surrender ensuring safety to their life in the process of their surrender before the police.

They are doing this to create confidence among the Maoist if anybody wants to surrender and to remove any apprehension they have about safety to their life.

Police officials are of the opinion that some Maoists those are looking for way out to join the mainstream will definitely contact them if they get assurance on safety to their life.

These districts SPs are floating their cell phone numbers in the media and appealing the Maoists to contact them directly on their phone if they are willing to surrender or join the mainstream while promising safety to their life and to produce them before the media immediately after their surrender without causing any harm to their life and harassment. 

Earlier, Maoists used to take the help of the local political leaders to surrender before the police and these political leaders used to ensure that there would be no threat to the life of the Maoist willing to surrender.

But Maoists party has threatened the political leaders for surrendering their cadre to the police and subsequently now political leaders are not taking risk involved in surrendering Maoists cadre.

SP Dr Tarun Joshi, while showing the arrest of the Maoist Chunchula Bakkanna,38, while producing him before the media at Bellampalli recently, gave his cell phone number to publish in the media prominently and asked the Maoists to contact him directly on his phone if anybody willing to surrender before the police while assuring safety to their life.

Rising social discord helps Maoists

History is repeating itself as far as Maoist movement in north Telangana is concerned.

Land related disputes, discrimination with villagers based on caste and class, villagers forming groups to take revenge against each other are leading to them siding either side of police or Maoists.

The same socio, economic and political conditions prevailed in the villages when Naxals gained foothold in the villages 20 years ago. 

Maoists are taking advantage of prevailing differences between villagers, the gap between rich and poor that has widened in the last 20 years and suppression on down trodden especially Dalits by the local land lords to get foothold in villages in the north Telangana.

The unrest among Adivasis caused by various government policies which alienating them from their ‘Jal, Jungle and Jameen’ apparently forcing some of them to tilt towards Maoists to protect their rights.

The recent non- tribals’ agitation backed by the businessmen and realtors demanding the relaxation in A.P Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation 1 of 1970 (Prohibition of Tribal Land Transfer Act which was popularly known as 1/70Act) which was a safe guard for Adivasis’ rights in Agency areas also created unrest among the Adivasis in the Adilabad district.

Imposing restrictions on Adivasis’s movements and their natural habitats in the name of tiger zones, opencast mines in Adivasi areas, displacing them on large scale from their gudems, growing dominance of the plain area Lambada Tribals and cornering all the benefits meant for the Tribals by Lambadas and planting trees under ‘Haritha Haram’ in lands being cultivated for long time by the Adivasis without conducting joint surveys by the revenue and forest departments are also causing unrest.

The unrest among the Adivasis is quite clear and they have manifested it many times through their agitations which are on the rise in the Telangana. Maoists are reentering into villages by taking up the local social issues and settling the issues in Praja Courts (Kangaroo Courts) and threatening the local land lords and suspected police informers.

The above issues had not surfaced during the Telangana agitation though they had been simmering.The issues had not been addressed by the intellectuals of the Telangana who led the agitation to keep the people united to first achieve separate Telangana state.

This situation is indirectly giving scope for Maoist to regain foothold in the villages in the Adilabad district. Some villagers have become sympathizers of Maoists to take revenge against their rival group.

There are differences among the villagers on the land and it creates two groups in the Patha Ellapur village in Khanapur mandal in the Adilabad. One group is pasted wall posters in the name of Maoists threatening the other group and to take revenge. Police arrested some of them and sent them to judicial custody few weeks ago.

Top Naxalites of that time had attacked the house of powerful landlord and Congress leader G V Pitamber Rao in Tapalpur village in Jannaram mandal which resulted in his death and also death of his two sons in subsequent attack in Nov, 1976.

Adivasis of the interior areas are in the grip of fear in Khanapur mandal in the district following the exchange of fire reportedly that took place between police and Maoists near Shetpalli forest area under Pembi police station limits in Khanapur mandal on November 18.

Tense situation is being prevailed in the Tribal areas since Maoists killed Adivasi youth Kursinge Ballal Shah, 25, of Kheriguda of Tiryani mandal accusing him of being police informer on October 30.

Bellampalli police produced the surrendered Naxaltie Chunchula Bakkanna,38, who reportedly recently rejoined the Maoists, before the Media on November 22 and announced that Bakkanna he was accused in the killing of Ballal Sha. Police took Chunchu Bakkanna into their custody who reportedly injured in exchange of fire between police and Maoists in Shetpalli in Khanapur mandal in the Adilabad.

SP Dr. Tarun Joshi said ‘there was no need for them to kill Maoists in fake encounters and showing the arrest of the Bakkanna was best example for this and alleged that some organizations making propaganda of fake encounters against police without waiting for facts.

Cops vigil on BT road laying works at Jodeghat

Cops are more vigilant than the engineers of Tribal Welfare engineering department on BT road laying works taken up at a cost of Rs 3 crore which are under progress for 22 km from Hatti to Jodeghat in Kerameri mandal and checking regularly the road laying works.

The police suspects that Maoists may hide or plant dynamites or detonators in the new road or repair works taking the advantage of road laying works and to be triggered targeting the political leaders or others in future.

Cops are checking the road laying works with bomb disposal squads and keeping the vigil on the laborers involved in the road works to avoid untoward incidents in future.

The 22 km road is being laid in the dense forest area which was once strong hold of Maoists.

Cops are not leaving any chance to Naxalites since the Maoists issued an ultimatums to the ruling government in the wake of Warangal encounter in which two Maoists were killed.

It is said that Central and state police forces have been combing the Jodeghat and its surrounding forest for the past few days in the wake of 75^th death anniversary of late Komaram Bheem on October 27.

Local police are making trips every day to Jodeghat from Hatti to inspect the road laying works and keep a watch on the suspicious persons moving in the area and also laborers involved in construction works of Komaram Bheem memorial, arch and museum works.

It may be recalled here that, 13 years ago, one person died and few others injured when Naxalites had triggered a bomb targeting a jeep in which government employees were traveling at a curve on the hillock enroute Jodeghat on the day of Komaram Bheem death anniversary.

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