Blackout in 90 villages of Chhattisgarh

Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, Mar 31 (UNI) About 90 villages of Chhattisgarh's Bastar division faced blackouts and road blockages due to the damage caused by the naxals during a Dandakaranya bandh, held today.

This is the second bandh called to protest the killing of the 17 Maoists in a police encounter a fortnight back in Bijapur district.

The first bandh took place on March 26.

The extremists fell trees to abrupt road traffic in several places of Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kanker, Bijapur and other districts in the Bastar division.

A bus en-route from here to Hyderabad has been halted.

The Maoists damaged eight electricity poles between Gadhbengal and Punjameta road. They also fell down a tree at Orchha road and placed a pressure bomb in it which was immediately defused by police.

Railway sources said for security reasons the sole passenger train plying from Bailadila to Vishakhapatnam left from here.

UNI XC-KV LPB DB1839