Blackout creates security threat in Bastar

RAIPUR: Security forces in Chhattisgarh have been put on high alert to prevent any naxal attack following a blackout in Bastar region after naxalities blasted three high tension transmission towers.

Intelligence and jail authorities have received inputs that taking advantage of the darkness and communication problems due to power failure in the entire Bastar region, naxalites could attack some vital installations including jails to take out their associates, officials informed.

Since it would take another ten days to restore the power, the jail headquarters reviewed the situation and directed all the jails of that area to shift the jail inmates, who are accused of being naxalites, to safer places to prevent any jail break, jail department officials said.

As a part of that at least 60 such accused of Dantewada district jail, involved in naxal related violence, have already been shifted to Jagdalpur Central jail, the officials said.

The jail Department had so far identified 182 such people, who had been housed in various jails of Bastar region on charges of involvement in naxal violence and the authorities have been directed to take permissions from the local court to shift them to safer places, they said.

The Maoists had earlier unsuccessfully attacked some jails, including Narayanpur jail, when there was power in the area and the current blackout could provide them with an opportunity, they said.

Bastar police officials also said the blackout had created a lot of security problems for the naxal infested region.

Telephone exchanges are not working at many places and the inverter and batteries cannot be charged making the wireless sets of many police stations dead, because of which the communication network had collapsed at some places, they said.

When contacted, Bastar SP Gurjinder Pal Singh said the forces have been put on a high alert to meet any eventuality in the wake of the blackout in Bastar region.

The Naxalites had triggered landmine blasts and damaged three towers of high-tension electricity lines on Friday in the deep woods of Narayanpur district, plunging five districts - Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker into darkness, Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board officials said here.

The Maoists had damaged the three high-tension towers in inaccessible and deep jungle area, which does not have roads, they said.

Although the damaged area had been identified but it would take at least ten days to restore power supply, the CSEB officials said.

Besides train movement, works in NMDC iron ore mines, located in Dantewada district have been adversely affected, officials said.