Remote tribal village in C'garh to be connected with road

Tribals living in and around inaccessible Jagargunda village, one of the worst naxal- affected areas in south Chhattisgarh, are likely to get a road facility by the end of this year, police said.
"The road construction work towards Jagargunda is being carried out in full swing from three sides. Soon it will be connected from three district headquarters via Dornapal (Sukma district), Aranpur (Dantewada) and Basaguda (Bijapur) through separate routes," Inspector General of Police (in-charge) Sundarraj P told PTI.
Sundrraj, who recently took over as IG visited Jagargunda,a large village in Sukma which is located around 450 kms away from the state capital Raipur a couple of days ago.

Once considered as a local trade hub for tribals, Jagargunda lies 58 kms deep inside restive forest from Dornapal,situated onSukma-Kontaroad- a patch onNH30that connects Jagdalpur (District headquarter of Bastar) to Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh.
The roads which are being built are Dornapal to Jagargunda-58 km, Aranpur to Jagargunda-30 km and Basaguda to Jagargunda-49, the IG said, adding "we are hoping that construction works would be completed by the end of this year or the beginning of next year".
During his visit, the IG met villagers and discussed many issues related to development and security of their region.

He also briefed the villagers about the efforts of the state government and the local administration to get their village connected to the mainstream as it was earlier.

"I have assured villagers that security forces including CRPF and CoBRA deployed in Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur districts would do the needful to bring in peace and happiness back in their village," the IG said.
As many as 12 village gram panchayats fall on Dornapal-Jagargunda route where several government schools, including ashram schools, are situated in which about 4000 children are studying.
Besides, it will redevelop Jagargunda as a trade hub
for locals and thereby help in changing their lifestyle.
It will also expedite the development works of the region, he added.
According to another senior police official posted in Sukma, remote areas of south Bastar division, comprising seven districts namely Bastar, Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma districts, had witnessed large scale violence since June 2005, after the erstwhile controversial anti-naxalite movement Salwa Judum kicked off.

During the same period, naxals had damaged the 58-kms stretch of kuchha road from Dronapal-Jagargunda and other roads connecting the place to keep their grip intact over many parts of Sukmalocatedin extreme south Bastar on thetri-junctionof Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states, the official added.
On this strategically important route, security personnel, mostly paramilitary forces CRPF, have 11 camps, including two police stations at Polampalli and Chintagufa, he said.
This region where main villages are Gorgunda, Polampalli, Chintagufa, Chintalnar, Jagargunda, Tadmetla and others have an estimated population of 25,000.
"It takes a day or two for the forces for carrying food and other items for villagers and security forces at Jagargunda and adjoining places from Dornapal amid heavy security," the official said.

A huge convoy of truck loaded with ration and other items are supplied twice in a year that is in summer and winter to Jagargunda under the escort of security forces.
In April, 2012, Sukma collector Alex Paul Menon who was kidnapped by Maoists was said to be kept in the same region.
He was released 12 days after his kidnapping in Chintalnar area.
Earlier, on April 4, 2010,military wing of the rebels, Peoples' LiberationGuerrillaArmy (PLGA), had killed 75 CRPF menand one state police constable and left some eight others injured in the country's biggest ever Maoist attack on security forces in Tadmetla area near Chintalnar.