NMDC mines hit by Naxalite strike

The strike called by the Naxalites in Dandakaranya zone in protest against the killing of 17 rebels in an encounter near Pamed in Bijapur district recently crippled the transportation of iron ore from country's largest iron ore producer and exporter, the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), on March 31.

Besides the state-run mining major, railway will also have to incur loss as no trains plied on the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul section today as precautionary measure to deal with the bandh called by the Left radical group.

About two dozens rakes daily ply on this section transporting iron ore from NMDC's Dantewada facility to Visakhapatnam from where it is shipped to Japan and other countries.

This is the second time in a week when transportation of iron ore was disrupted in the mineral-rich Bastar division.

Earlier, the rebels had called for bandh on March 26 on the same issue. The railway and police authorities maintained maximum precaution to deal with the bandh in wake of Naxals raid in a mining facility of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in Durg district on Thursday, from where rebels carried away about 2 ton of explosives.

Sources said even the mining works in the NMDC was affected as workers did not turn up for work fearing violence.

Iron ore transportation by road was also crippled as transporters preferred to keep the vehicles off the road. Even shops and business establishment in the interior areas remained closed.

"No untoward incident was reported from any part of the region," Girdhari Nayak, inspector general of police (headquarters) said.