First day of 48-hr Maoists bandh incident free in Kolhan

Jamshedpur, Feb 15: The first day of the 48-hour Jharkhand bandh called by the outlawed CPI-Maoist evoked a lukewarm response in the Kolhan region. Barring few places under Ghatshila sub-division, where public transport remained off the road, the Naxal-sponsored bandh failed to have much impact.

Ghatshila SDO Sanjay Kumar Besra said the bandh has been peaceful as there were strict vigil at all important places. Life in Ghatshila Township was quite normal, but few places in the interiors of Ghatshila division observed bandh.

“The bandh call had some impact in areas like Karadoba, Hurlung and Narshingpur, which are closed to the Bengal border and parts of Ghurabandha block, but life in rest of Ghatshila sub-division was by and large normal.

Vehicular traffic on the NH-33 on the stretch of Ghatshila sub-division was also partially affected,” said Besra.

In the West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts, the bandh was peaceful. Industrial units as well as the educational institutions, including schools ran as usual and the marketplaces were also open like any other normal day.

However, long distance buses, both government and private, from Sitaramdera bus terminus did not ply today. Owners of the Jamshedpur Bus Owners� Association, Upendra Sharma said that 80 percent long distance buses plying in the Bihar routes via Ranchi did not ply today.

The long route private buses plying on the two ends of the NH-33, Tata-Ranchi and Tata-West Bengal have felt the pinch with few of the buses staying off the roads nonetheless, the government buses heading for different destinations to Bihar in particular are running in full strength.

In the East Singhbhum, the mobility of the security forces including CRPF personnel was paced up on the National Highway-33 stretching from Ghatshila to Chandil. “The district administration has deputed 17 magistrates across strategic locations of the district to oversee the security affairs in the wake of Maoists bandh,” informed a senior official.

“We have made elaborate arrangement to ensure that the bandh call given by the rebels make no impact. Barring few localities in Ghatshila subdivision, the call has failed to make any impact,” he added.

The entire stretch of the National Highway (33) i.e. between Chandil at the one end to Bahragora on the other end was occupied with the police and paramilitary personnel at strategic points. �Not only on the NH but even in the town and village areas we have deployed security forces of adequate strength and mobility of the police has paced up,� said a police official.

Gurabandha, Dumari, Potka, Bodam, and Patamda, which are considered as Naxalite dens in the district, received the utmost focus with police and paramilitary jointly embarking on the mobile duty with the break of the dawn.