chitrakonda

OST Bureau

Bhubaneswar, Aug 30

A team of people’s representatives from the cut off area of Chitrakonda region in Malkangiri district met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here today.

The team comprising all panchayat samiti members, sarpanches and ward members from the region apprised the Chief Minister of the desperate and miserable situation in the area after the suspension of launch services for the last ten days due to Maoist threat and urged him to take urgent measures for its early resumption.

The delegation met Patnaik after the Malkangiri district administration, which held a meeting last Monday, failed to reach any conclusion over the issue. Last week, Congress MLAs had expressed concern in the Odisha Assembly over the halted launch services. The legislators criticized the government’s attitude towards the plight of the tribal people.

According to sources, on August 20 some armed Maoists threatened launch operators to stop the services from the following morning. Though the reason behind the threat was not disclosed, the launch operators were forced to stop the communication on water route from August 21.

After the launch service was suspended, 151 revenue villages in seven gram panchayats of the cut-off parts have been affected for the last ten days. The motor launch is the only means of transport for the people to connect with the rest of the world.