MALKANGIRI:Even as security has been tightened, a large number of people gathered at a public meeting organised by CPI(Maoist) in Ralegada forest area in ‘Swabhiman Anchala’ bordering Korukonda of Andhra Pradesh, on the second day of Martyrs Week on Sunday.
Addressing the gathering, Andhra-Odisha Border Zonal Committee secretary Ravna declared that the outfit opposes Gurupriya bridge as it would help corporate houses loot minerals from the region.
“The bridge has been constructed as a part of conspiracy to loot the minerals”, he said. The Gurupriya bridge was recently inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The rebel leaders later paid homage to their slain comrades at a red building constructed at Garasetu in the vicinity of Panasput in the erstwhile cut-off region.The structure has been erected in memory of 30 Maoists who were killed in a fierce encounter with the police in Ramguda forest in 2016.
The rebels also took out a procession in which hundreds of villagers from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh participated. The rally culminated at Korukonda village on Andhra-Odisha border, sources said.
Around 30 top Maoist cadres, including Ramkrishna alias RK and Ganpati, were present in the meet, sources added.
Lights go off on bridge
Days after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the much-awaited Gurupriya bridge, the lights and CCTV cameras on it went off due to some technical reasons, sources said. The bridge, under threat from Maoists, was plunged into darkness putting it at grave risk, sources added.