Maoist insurgents on Sunday damaged the entire 23-km stretch of landmine resistant road from Bijapur to Gangalur — once called “Khooni Sadak” (killer road), for witnessing a record number of casualties of security personnel and civilians in Naxal violence — in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar, nearly a year-and-half after it was opened to public.
The road, considered a vital link in the proposed Maoist corridor between Andhra Pradesh to south Bastar through Bijapur district, has been re-laid by making it landmine blast resistant after security personnel secured the route from the Naxals nearly three-years-ago. The newly-built road was opened to public in January 2010.
“The entire stretch of road was damaged by the rebels, who dug out the road at every 100 metre. As result of this, the movement of security forces in the area would severely be hit,” Bijapur district superintendent of police (SP), Mr R.N. Das, told this newspaper.
Security personnel had fought many pitched battles against Maoists in the route in the past one decade to secure it from the rebels, in the process losing 108 of their colleagues.
Besides, as many as 60 civilians had been killed in Naxal landmine blasts on the stretch.
Twelve policemen were killed by Naxals while providing security to workers during construction of the road.
The black top road was replaced with harder-to-blow up concrete. The road was constructed at a cost of `10 crores, funded by public sector, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), which runs country’s largest iron ore mines at nearby Bailadila in Dantewada district.
Maoists used to run training camps for their cadres in the area till as late as 2008, by securing the road.
“It takes a lot of efforts and time to blow up a road of such type. Not a single incident of landmine blast has been witnessed since the re-laid road was opened to public in January last year,” a senior district police officer said.