Maoists blast coffee godown

GK VEEDHI (VISAKHAPATNAM): Maoists struck again in Visakha agency late on Saturday by blasting a coffee godown of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation at Pedavalasa in the mandal, which is a hotbed area for Maoist activities.
The incident took place a day after the Visakha rural police conducted a community feast at villages in Balapam area that are the stronghold of the Red rebels.
The roof of the godown caved in by the impact of the blast and the sprayers, furniture and tarpaulin were gutted.
A group of 15 Naxals had entered the coffee godown at Pedavala, 1 km from the village, on Saturday and blasted it. The godown had been closed for the past five years, according to sources, but people did not notice a night halt bus and a proclain placed for road work in the village.
The Maoists have left posters at the site in the name of the Galikonda Area Committee, Adivasi Raitu Coolie Sangham and Viplava Mahila Sangham. The rebels urged people to boycott the local body elections and accused the Congress of being responsible for all encounters and forcible arrests of innocent tribals. They alleged that the government has been conducting Green Hunt operations in Visakha agency also.
Police claimed that the Red guerillas are trying to make their presence felt because their activities had come to a halt for almost six months in the agency. They said that the Maoists had committed a mistake at Sagulu by killing two innocent tribals and had lost the confidence of the tribal communities. The police had also intensified their combing and conducted the Sadbhavana Yatra, a programme aimed to woo the youth away from the Maoists.
Visakha rural SP G Srinivas said that the blasting of the godown is a desperate action of the rebels to reclaim lost ground in the agency.