The bus owners in Jharkhand have suspended their operations in the wake of assaults and extortions by the Maoists.
The Maoists have been regularly extorting money from the bus drivers in several districts of the state and allege that the authorities have failed to take any action. The bus drivers, who refused to pay extortion money, are beaten up badly and their vehicles torched.
The bus owners have refused to ply the buses till the government assures police protection to them. As a result, the services in major routes of Ranchi, Panki and Lesliganj have been badly affected.
“We have demanded protection on the roads. More than us, the general public here and the passengers are in fear. We can still tolerate the beating and torture they (Maoists) do, but the general public here fears coming on this route after 6 in the evening,” said a bus driver.
Bidesh Singh, a local legislator of Panki district, met the bus operators on Monday and assured them of police protection.
“They (police) should do patrolling. The patrolling should be done with two or four vehicles escorting in the front or back. Only when the patrolling is done that the staff will work, otherwise there will be a lot of problems in this area. I have also conveyed the problems to SP (Superintendent of Police),” he said.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has stressed on the need for better coordination between the Central and state governments to meet the challenge posed by Maoists to the security forces.
Describing the Naxal problem as the gravest challenge facing India, he had earlier asked all states which are grappling with the menace to appoint as District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police such officers who have the ‘zeal’ to fight the rebels. (ANI)