ROURKELA: A dozen inter-state buses plying from Rourkela to Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh remained suspended on Saturday in the wake of the Maoist-sponsored 48-hour shutdown beginning Saturday midnight.
There was little or no impact at the vulnerable pockets of Sundargarh district, close to Saranda forest in Jharkhand.
Sources said apprehending trouble, buses plied till Kopsingha and shops remained closed at Jareikela at the extreme end of the
district. Rourkela SP Himanshu Lal said there had been no report of movement of guerillas. Security has been beefed up to prevent infiltration of Maoist operatives from Saranda. Police said besides Bisra, Lathikata and Bondamunda, all eight police stations in Bonai sub-division have been asked to stay alert along with the CRPF and DFV personnel.
Reports reaching here from the Maoist-hotbed of West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand said market areas under Manoharpur police limits remained closed even as uneasy calm prevailed at forested villages inside Saranda.
The shutdown is learnt to be effective in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and part of Odisha to seek release of five jailed Maoists. Normalcy would be restored from Tuesday morning.