To help the tribals shed the fear of Maoists, a weekly market has been established in Malkangiri district of Odisha.
The Thursday market opened on February 6 at Kartanpali village, a Maoist stronghold once. It caters for 30 remote villages in the Mathili block as well as villages of the Tentuliguma panchayat in adjoining Koraput district.
Chitrakonda Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sunaram Hembram opened the market, which he says will help to promote communication and trading among the inhabitants of remote villages. It will also bring the police and the administration closer to the public of the Maoist-affected region. Officials also get to know from those visiting the market the issues of amenities in their areas.
Earlier, residents of Kartanpali and other villages had to travel 20 kilometres to Mathili every week to buy and sell farm and forest produce. They had also faced the threat of being branded by Maoists as informants.
The residents of these areas themselves wanted a weekly market and they wholeheartedly supported the project when the administration proposed it. “The market has also enhanced the relationship between residents and security forces,” Mr. Hembram said.
Kartanpali Sarpanch Phulmati Jiram said the market would strengthen the relationship among the people and their living standards.
Increased area dominance by the security forces, with the establishment of a camp of the Border Security Force (BSF) at Kartanpali two years ago, has also helped the project.
