1st day of Maoist bandh peaceful in North Andhra

VISAKHAPATNAM:  The first day of Maoist bandh on Sunday in the Agency areas of the three North Andhra districts saw several commercial establishments closing down the shutters and vehicles going off the roads. The Korukonda dalam committee gave a two-day bandh call in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts on April 29 and 30 to register its protest against the Green Hunt launched by the police.No untoward incidents were reported in the three districts and the bandh had partial impact since it was a holiday. Nevertheless, the bandh is expected to hit the normal life on Monday. Private vehicles kept plying since the morning hours. However, the APSRTC preferred to keep its buses off the road in remote villages, especially those located between Parvathipuram and Narayanapatna in Odisha, as a precautionary measure. Night halt services at police stations were also stopped following an alert issued by the cops.Sources said the police informed the traders of GK Veedhi, Chintapalle and Paderu mandals in Visakhapatnam district to oppose the bandh call by opening the commercial establishments. Nonetheless, majority of the shopkeepers played safe by downing the shutters.Maoist posters demanding the suspension of operation Green Hunt were found at various places in the Agency areas. Special police patrolling and checking at entry points are intensified to check infiltration. The cops are likely to conduct an aerial survey in the Maoist strongholds along Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) to help the Greyhounds in man hunt.Also, they are keeping a close vigil on public and private properties since the extremists are said to be planning a Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) against them. With the intelligence confirming the movement of two action teams in Visakhapatnam Agency area, the police deployed additional security in all the vulnerable areas.