E. Ahamed calls for cooperation from state governments to deal with Maoists

New Delhi, Mar. 23 (ANI): In the wake of Maoists blowing up railway tracks during 48-hour shutdown call, Minister of State for Railway E. Ahamed on Tuesday urged all state governments to take necessary steps to avert such incidents.

"So far as the Railways are concerned we are taking all the precautionary measures and the actions the Railways ought to, we are cautious of all these things. But the state government should also take the necessary steps in this direction," Ahamed said.

"We are also cooperating with the state government but to prevent such incidents and the menace of the Maoists is a matter to be looked into by the Central Government and the state government," he added.

Maoists have called for a 48-hour shutdown in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three districts of Maharashtra against the 'Operation Green Hunt' launched to deal with the rebels.

On the second day of the shutdown, the Maoists blew up a railway track between Kamandi and Chipadohar in Jharkhand's Latehar district. They also blew up railway track between Pokpada and Dalbhumgarh, besides targeting a railway track in Ranchi district.

There are reports that the Maoists have also abducted five traders from Jharkhand's Bokaro district.

In West Bengal, Maoists blew up a railway track between Jhargram and Gidhni district. The Maoists had blown up a stretch of land along the railway track between Midnapore and Godapia Sal stations in West Midnapore district early on Monday morning.

The Maoists blew up a rail track in Orissa's Sundergarh district early on Tuesday morning near Bisra station, hitting rail services in the Chakradharpur division on the Howrah-Mumbai route.

The Maoists also blew up five bogies of a goods train in Orissa, besides damaging a railway track in Bisra district.

Earlier, the Maoists blew up a railway track near Gaya derailing the New Delhi bound Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express on Monday night. (ANI)