Maoists set equipment afire

PADAMPUR(BARGARH): Maoists set afire construction materials and equipment at the site office of a construction firm near Sareikela village under Jharbandh police limits late on Friday night. The equipment belonged to a contractor B S Chawla who had undertaken work of a road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) from Sareikela to Dhaurabhata. However, reasons behind the attack are not yet clear. While a section of villagers said the ultras destroyed the equipment as the contractor did not pay heed to their warning to stop work during the PLGA week, some said the move was against work on a dam over the river Ong at Pujharipali. The Maoists left behind posters where they stated that construction of the road from Sareikela to Dhaurabhata was ‘a means to snatch away jal, jungle and jamin from villagers’.  Sources said even the villagers are divided over construction of the dam as it threatens to submerge 32,000 hectares (ha) of irrigated land in 32 villages, but after completion it would irrigate 96,000 ha.Chawla is the brother of a super class contractor Arvind Singh who was shot dead by Maoists on July 8 this                 year.Landmine FoundBerhampur: Police on Saturday recovered a powerful landmine on Gudibali-Bhramarabadi road under the Daringibadi police limits in Kandhamal district. Around 10 kg explosive materials, suspected to have been planted by Maoists, were also defused by the district bomb disposal squad.   On a tip off, the squad and security personnel raided the area.  Security personnel had recovered huge quantities of explosives in the nearby areas last month.