The retreat: Tracing the decline of the Maoist movement
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New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
Pavagada now the epicentre of dramatic transformation
BENGALURU: Once infamous for its sky-high fluoride levels and Naxal terror, one of South Karnataka's most backward taluks-Pavagada-is now the epicentre of a dramatic transformation. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will reach Pavagada by helicopter on Monday to inaugurate a twin lifeline for the region: a drinking water project and a solar power facility that could soon reclaim its spot as the largest in the world. Only a few years ago, Pavagada's groundwater was so toxic it was unfit even for brushing teeth. Fluoride levels were reportedly five times above safety limits, crippling residents with skeletal and dental fluorosis. 'We are pumping clean, treated water all the way from the Tungabhadra - over 230 km away - to make sure not a single resident here has to drink poison again,' said Karnataka Home Minister and Tumakuru District Minister Dr G Parameshwara. Madhugiri, Pavagada, and the surrounding drought-prone belt will now receive this life-saving water through a web of pipelines-an engineering feat in its own right. 'This project will permanently solve the drinking water crisis in this region,' Dr Parameshwara said, who had briefly served as MLA from Madhugiri. But water is only half the story. The Chief Minister is also set to re-inaugurate the Shakti Sthala Solar Park, which, once its final phases go live, will reclaim the title of the world's largest solar power plant. Built across 13,000 acres and first launched by Siddaramaiah in 2018, the park pays 2,300 farmers annual leases of Rs 21,000 per acre, with built-in hikes. It is not just clean energy, but green prosperity for a region once known only for red terror and barren fields. 'Not long ago, Pavagada was a hub of Naxal activity. The People's War Group had set up base camps here. Today, there is no trace of that dark past,' Dr Parameshwara said, crediting development for defeating extremism.
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Deccan Herald
The retreat: Tracing the decline of the Maoist movement
Operation Kagar has led to major setbacks for the Naxal movement, but for many in these forested regions, daily life remains shaped by alienation and uncertainty.
Mint
4 days ago
- Mint
In a first, state-run bus service starts in Naxal-hit Maharashtra village
Gadchiroli, Jul 17 (PTI) A remote village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, which was once a Naxal hotbed, has now become accessible with the starting of the state-run bus service in the area for the first time since independence, police said. As the first bus rolled into the Markanar village on Wednesday, bringing it on the state road transport network, locals welcomed it and cheered by waving the national flag. The service will benefit nearly 1,200 residents, including students, from Marknar and nearby villages, a police release said. The bus service from the remote Markanar village to Aheri has been started for the first time since independence following efforts by the Gadchiroli police, it claimed. Gadchiroli district, known for its tribal population and Naxal affected areas, has long struggled with poor connectivity. The Markanar village is located at the foothills of Abujhmad, which was a Naxal stronghold, in Bhamragad subdivision of Gadchiroli district. Villagers for the first time witnessed the bus service in their area on Wednesday. They gathered to welcome the state transport service, brainchild of Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, by waving the tricolour, the release said. The service will benefit more than 1,200 residents, particularly patients, students and other daily commuters, from villages like Markanar, Murumbhushi, Phulnar, Koparshi, Poyarkothi and Gundurwahi, it said. The Gadchiroli police have undertaken several infrastructure projects to ease transportation in remote regions. On January 1, 2025, bus services were launched on Gatta-Gardewada-Wangeturi route, and from Katezhar to Gadchiroli on April 27, the release said. In the last five years, 20 roads of 420.95 kilometres and 60 bridges were constructed in the district and completed under the protection of the Gadchiroli police, it added.
