Police increase vigil after Maoist blast

Wednesday’s low-intensity blast triggered by Maoists blowing up a culvert at Pedamidisileru in Charla mandal a few km away from Taliperu dam prompted the local police to launch a vigorous vehicle checking drive on all thoroughfares leading to the insurgency-hit areas of neighbouring Chhattisgarh.

The blast comes barely a month after the police seized a consignment of explosive material from a Maoist at Kaliveru in the mandal.

Earlier this year, the Charla police arrested two Maoist sympathisers at Devanagaram while allegedly carrying explosive material at the behest of rebels based in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar division.

Landmines defused

The local police on Wednesday claimed to have detected and defused three land mines allegedly planted by the rebels at different locations at Tippapuram in the same mandal. Meanwhile, the Charla police on Thursday conducted joint vehicle checking operations along with the CRPF jawans at Taliperu dam, Kaliveru, Pusuguppa and various other forest fringe villages perched along the inter-State border.

No traffic

The vehicular movement on the Pedamidisileru-Pamedu CC road remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Thursday with the blasted material of the culvert on the road lying unattended, sources said.

Sources said that the repair works on the damaged portion of the culvert are expected to be carried out in a few days under police protection.

Prohibitory orders

The city police denied permission to the Amarula Bandhu Mitrula Sangham’s proposed meeting here on April 28 citing the prohibitory orders in force under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in Khammam police commissionerate limits.

The Sangham on Wednesday announced its decision to hold a meeting in protest against the alleged “State violence and recent encounter killings in Chhattisgarh” at Ramnarsaiah Vignana Kendram here on Saturday.