Visakhapatnam: A group of Maoists on Thursday night set fire to and damaged four JCB excavators near Nurmathi area under G. Madugula police station limits in Vizag Agency.
According to reports, the incident took place between 10.40 pm and 11.10 pm on Thursday night when around 10 ultras reached the Nurmathi and Vakapalli areas and torched the machines being used for optical fibre cable laying works.
The rebels beat up the operators of the JCBs before setting them on fire with petrol. They also warned the operators to stop the work and quit the place immediately. They told the JCB operators that the fibre network would not, in any way, benefit the tribals. The attackers, however, did not leave behind any posters and pamphlets at the spot.
A contractor, K. Venkat Reddy from Kadapa region, has undertaken the execution of optical fibre cable laying work in the G. Madugula region.
The Maoists warned that if the contractor dares to ignore their diktat, he will be punished. People around the place were informed about this warning. The police say that the Maoists have been disrupting the development works in remote areas and they will be punished by the locals in the coming days.
