After a gap of 15 years, bus service resumed Sunday on a route in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-hit Bijapur district on the occasion of the 75th Independence Day, providing huge relief to local people deprived of the facility due to Maoist activities, officials said. The bus service was reintroduced on a 25-km long Bijapur-Gangaloor road, a government statement said.
Congress MLA and Parliamentary Secretary Shishupal Sori flagged off the Gangaloor village-bound bus from Bijapur, it said. This service will be run by a private bus operator. Gangaloor sarpanch Raju Kalmu said the bus service was the lifeline of the area as people were mainly dependent on it.
“The resumption of bus service is a great relief for locals, particularly women, children and ailing persons. People will also have access to better education and health services now,” he added. Inspector-General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said the bus service on this route remained suspended for the last 15 years due to Maoist activities in the area.
“A road already exists on this route (Bijapur-Gangaloor) and its widening was done under the protection of security forces. Camps of security forces, including one of CRPF’s 85th battalion, are set up on the Bijapur-Gangaloor route,” he said. Road construction work is underway to further connect Gangaloor with Mirtur village which is connected to Bhairamgarh town (Bijapur) by road, he said.
The 30-km-long Gangaloor-Mirtur stretch runs through a Maoist stronghold. The IG said the road connectivity would help villagers, mostly tribals, to avail themselves of benefits of various schemes of the state government and directly connect them to the administration. “These roads are of great importance to winning the war against ultras in south Bastar,” he added.
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