Bus service back in Maoist-hit area after 40 yrs
RAIPUR: Devram Vatti, a farmer in Aranpur village in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada, is the man behind the wheels of a bus that restored its service between Dantewada and Jagargunda towns of Maoist-hit Bastar range after around 40 years.
The bus service, through one of the core Maoist areas and the lush green forests of Bastar’s Dantewada and Sukma districts, resumed on January 15. It ensures smooth and faster movement of around 17,000 residents of 25 villages from Jagargunda to Dantewada.
“The number of passengers is increasing daily. For villagers, it is almost unbelievable that a bus service has resumed on the route once dominated by Maoists,” Vatti said.
The bus service covers a distance of 81 km in about three-andhalf-hours from Jagargunda before reaching district headquarters Dantewada that witnessed multiple instances of Maoist violence in the past.
“Earlier, there was a government bus service but it stopped around 1982. Vehicles used to move along this stretch. During Salwa Judum in 2008, the Maoists dug this road at several places to restrict the movement of vehicles,” a senior police official said.
In 2006, Salwa Judum, which means “peace march or purification hunt” in Gondi, was essentially a counter-insurgency group formed by the tribals to take on the Maoists. It was supposed to be a peace mission, and was launched by Mahendra Karma, a former Communist turned Congress leader in June 2005.
Later, Judum led to massive armed conflicts between Salwa Judum tribals and Maoists, leading to countless deaths and displacement in the region. On July 5, 2011, the Supreme Court ordered its disbanding, declared the militia to be illegal and unconstitutional.
The road along this stretch was built under the state’s RRP-2 project in Bastar range and initially sanctioned by the Centre in 2012, and the construction began soon after. It was constructed in parts as it connects some core areas of the Maoists. Between the two towns, the bus whizzes past 11 police and paramilitary forces camps. The road concerned is of importance to security forces and tribals residing in nearby forests. It ensures smooth movement of security forces during anti-maoist operations.
“This bus is now a lifetime service for everyone in this part. People earlier had to travel around 180 km via Sukma to reach Dantewada but now, they can reach Dantewada in just 3-4 hrs,” bus conductor Asharam Korram, also a resident of Aranpur who quit studies to make ends meet, said.
Dantewada superintendent of police (DSP) Siddharth Tiwari said: “This bus service is a tribute to the security personnel who laid down their lives to ensure a peaceful and smiling Bastar.”
According to police, around 140 security personnel were killed by Maoists during the construction of the road.
“We have sacrificed 140 security personnel since 2012 and around 4 km is still incomplete,” inspector general of police (Bastar range) Sunderaj P said.