RAIPUR: Hundreds of tribals in Kanker district of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh have gone on indefinite strike from Tuesday evening, protesting against the “upcoming new camp of Border Security Force” and the proposed construction of a bridge in Chhotebethiya region with other development related activities.
Taking cognizance of the matter, governor Anusuiya Uikey said that the state government and district administration should initiate talks with the local tribals and take decisions related to development activities in consent with them.
Bastar range inspector general of police P Sundarraj told TOI that the protest was part of the same plan by the Maoists to create hurdle in connecting interior areas to the outer world and the proposed bridge on Kotri river is creating a fear among the Maoists as it would affect their safe corridor that adjoins the trijunction between Kanker-Narayanpur and Gadchiroli in neighbouring Maharashtra.
“We have gathered here at Bethiya village to save our ‘jal, jungle, jameen’ because a BSF camp is proposed to be set up here and a bridge. Once they enter our region, our lives will be disturbed and they will destroy our natural resources," said Ramji Ram, one of the villagers on the site.
He added, "In the name of development, they want to set up police camps and build bridges while what we need is an education system, agricultural progress, and anganwadi centres. Keeping us deprived of basic needs and shoving police camp upon us wouldn’t do any good to us.”
Another villager said once the camp comes, they will not allow villagers to go to a temple situated deep in the forest.
“We will not allow them to build anything here and will go on massive protest from here to Raipur, if required. No one has taken consent from us to initiate such development work in our area,” he said.
During her visit to Dhamtari district in Bastar on Wednesday, governor Anuisuiya Uikey, replying to a question to the reporters, said, “On several occasions, I have asked the state government to take consent of tribals and locals in Scheduled areas, talk to them, make them aware about the benefits of development and only then initiate a new project. They are naïve people and in many cases, there are internal forces that misguide the tribals compelling them to protest.”
"I insist that the administration initiate talks with the protesting villagers and set up camp and build bridges only in agreement with the locals. Once they are made aware how easy life would be to travel through proper roads to reach from one place to another, it will be beneficial for all," the governor said.
Bastar IG P Sundarraj said that there was no BSF camp proposed in Kotri region as the nearest Chhotebethiya police station is just two kilometers away, though a stretch of 78 kilometers road is proposed between Sonpur to Chhotebethiya.
“Mostly the hideout for the Naxals are the interstate or inter-district borders and once the bridge on Kotri river comes into existence, it will connect nearly 40-50 villages to each other and to the headquarters. Thus, the safe hideout for Naxals on the trijunction that also connects south Kanker to north Abujhmad region, will be largely affected,” the IG said.
He added, “Clearly, the Maoists have mobilized the villagers as they make it appear like a bridge and development isn’t required. But we are trying to convince the villagers and negotiate with them so that they appreciate the move. It’s detrimental for their own existence to stand against development as the bridge will benefit them mostly in rains when such villagers convert into islands, disconnected from other villages.”
The IG said that the developments made in past few years have played instrumental towards shrinking the Maoists strongholds in Bastar region and it’s only through the development and network of security camps that the missing dots are being connected. The roads and bridges constructed after establishment of Kamdeta and Katgaon camps for development in Koyelibeda and Pratappur have brought positive changes in lives of locals that leads to frustration among Maoists, because now locals don’t agree with their ideologies.
It was only in May 2021 when four people were killed in a firing between police and “Maoists” leading to stampede, as they were opposing establishment of a security camp at Silger village on the borders of Sukma-Bijapur districts.
