A day after three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed during an exchange of fire with Maoists in Nuapada district, the Contractors’ Association of Kalahandi on Wednesday put up posters in Manikera of M.Rampur block in Kalahandi pleading with the ultras to support them in road construction works.

The leaflets were addressed to the CPI(Maoists) Odisha State Committee requesting the Red rebels not to make any disturbances in the ongoing projects citing that the road works along with all the amenities would develop the locals’ lives.

Besides, the association has mentioned that students will get better education with the installation of telecom towers in remote pockets. It has also stated that tribals have a right to live a better life which should not be hampered by Maoists and only development in the region could improve their next generation.

Notably, in the last month, protesting the road works, Maoists of the KKBN Division had set on fire five vehicles of a contractor, Pramod Pattnaik, at Tal Pipli village under the Sadar PS of Bhawanipatna. They had also threatened to kill the contractor asking him to refrain from the construction works.

In 2018, a super class contractor, Siba Shankar Das, of Kalahandi district had been shot dead by suspected Maoists under the Bijepur police station limits. While constructing a road from Bijepur to Pajibahali under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Lanjigarh block, Das had gone to his project site to pay the labourers when the ultras attacked him.