Union Home Minister Amit Shah Monday visited Gundam village, around 65 km from Bijapur headquarters, Chhattisgarh’s worst Maoist-hit district, where a police camp was set up on February 14 this year.
On January 30 this year, three jawans from the CRPF, including two CoBRA commandos, were killed while pushing back battalion number 1 of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the most powerful armed unit of Maoists around 15 km away from Gundam in Tekulagudem, Sukma district. The forces also detected and defused over a dozen IEDs on the axis before setting up a camp near Gundam.
Inaccessible by road, Gundam village in Usur block is inhabited by only 268 people.
During his visit, Shah, who was accompanied by CM Vishnu Deo Sai and state Home Minister Vijay Sharma, interacted with the women and asked them to form a group which would ensure their children attend school and finish their education.
Shah also met the family members of jawans who were killed fighting Maoists, and also families of those who were killed for allegedly being police informers or in IED blasts. The Union Home Minister said that statues of jawans who laid down their lives will be installed.
Promising unwavering support of the central and state governments, Shah said, “The pain of losing your loved ones cannot be diminished, but we stand firmly with you. We are committed to ensuring that no one else has to suffer the loss you have faced. To honour the memory of our brave jawans, the Chhattisgarh government will install statues in their villages, preserving their legacy for future generations.”
He also spoke with the villagers about medical facilities available at a nearby camp, government schemes such as free 35 kg rice among other facilities and asked youngsters to form a group to make villagers aware of the government’s initiatives. Under the Niyad Nellanar (your good village) initiative, 53 central and state government schemes will be implemented in the village.
Shah asked the Bijapur district collector, Sambit Mishra, to organise public service camps to facilitate getting essential documents such as Aadhaar, ration cards, bank passbooks, and Ayushman cards.
Though more work is underway, the village has grid electricity, solar pumps for water supply, television sets, fans, and bulbs. The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has started an 18-km road construction work from Tarrem to Kondapalli in the Usur block covering Gundam.
Shah said that district collectors must participate in the weekly grievance day for martyrs, ensuring a more comprehensive support system.
Why should you buy our Subscription?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package
