Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon blocks of Koraput district known as a Red corridor in the tribal hinterland are witnessing massive reorganising of the youth cadres with new strategies by the ultras. The members of the outlawed outfit in increasing numbers are penetrating into the adjacent blocks like laxmipur, Dasmantapur and Pottangi of Koraput district and Kashipur, Bissam Cuttack and Muniguda blocks. Their new mantra of organising the tribals and Dalits is resistance to laws pertaining to land acquisition and mining.
Another means of organising these deprived communities is around health. The health system is precarious in the region. Take the example of an additional Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Kumbhariput gram panchayat headquarters in Bandhugaon block. This PHC is situated around 130 km from the district headquarters of Koraput.
According to the State Health Department, this is a V4 area where the doctors will avail double salary. The indicators of V4 areas are no infrastructure for the ANM centre, inaccessible areas, long distance from the district headquarters hospitals and low health indicators, etc. There are 16 Health Sub-Centres under Bandhugaon CHC (Community Health Centre) out of which 15 come under V4 area. For several years, Kumbhariput PHC was non-functional. Three years back, Seashore Company took charge of this PHC under PPP (Public Private Partnership) mode. As it got blacklisted for several reasons, the health services got disrupted for several months. Finally, the paramilitary BSF camp occupied this dilapidated PHC building.
Kumbhariput has witnessed several violent activities like murder of a most powerful gentry and ex-sarpanch Balaram Dalei, burning of tractors, shovel, etc of the civil contractor agency ARSS, etc. In every 10 km stretch, there is a BSF camp either stationed in a school building or in a health centre in Narayanapatna and Bandhugaon blocks except two camps near Dandabadi and Palur. Recently, there was an intense combing operation in Kumbhariput area and nearby Kumbhikota area of Rayagada block by the BSF.
Shivaji, the son of Rama Krishna, Secretary of Andhra-Odisha Boarder Committee and a prominent Naxal leader of the Central Committee, has recently entered Narayanpatna from Andhra Pradesh side. He is well versed in the topography of the area and knows Telugu, tribal language Kui and Odia. Reliable sources mention that he is going to take leadership in this Red corridor. He along with his trusted aide Jitu has replaced Maoist leaders like Sarita and Suresh. Jitu carries Rs2 lakh on his head. The party is getting strengthened with the mastermind blue print of Ganapati who is the Central Secretary. The Basadhara-Gumusar-Nagavali division of the outfit has sounded the death knell of the Koraput MP, a Minister from Rayagada, the Bissam Cuttack MlA and a few BJD leaders. The activists have also been very active in Kashipur and Niyamagiri range which has plenty of bauxite reserve. The police have put several hoardings depicting anti-Naxal slogans in K Singhpur, Muniguda and Kashipur and appealed to the general public to inform about hardcore Naxal Bunty who murdered a famous leader of Sikarpai Gandhi Gopal Chetty.
“On one hand, the police say that the activity of the ultras has become minimal, but on the other they have not been able to curb the activity. Though the police are conducting several civic action programmes, there is least transparency in spending,” said a local denizen maintaining anonymity.