Latest news with #Neelotpal
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
In a first, State-run bus service starts in Maoist-hit Maharashtra village
A remote village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, which was once a Maoist 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 (July 16, 2025), 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 Maoist affected areas, has long struggled with poor connectivity. The Markanar village is located at the foothills of Abujhmad, which was a Maoist 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.
Mint
3 days ago
- General
- 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.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Time of India
24 Gadchiroli Guardians Charged For Allowing Minors To Drive Without Licence
Nagpur: In a stringent crackdown on traffic violations, Gadchiroli Police registered cases against 24 guardians for permitting their minor children to operate two-wheelers without valid licences. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The action was taken during a special checkpoint operation conducted at five key locations across the city on June 29 and July 3, aimed at curbing rising accidents and ensuring disciplined traffic movement. The initiative comes in response to an alarming increase in road accidents in Gadchiroli, a district once known as a backward Maoist hotbed but now rapidly transforming into a steel hub. Economic development and a surge in personal vehicle ownership have led to growing traffic congestion, reckless driving, other violations, and a spike in accidents, particularly involving minors. Superintendent of Police (SP) Gadchiroli, Neelotpal, issued directives to enforce strict legal action against errant drivers to promote road safety. "The spurt in sales of two-wheelers has come with a challenge for police to enforce the traffic rules as urbanisation in Gadchiroli after the Maoist fall is significant. We have observed a striking rise in minors engaging in rash two-wheeler driving and involving in critical accidents," said Neelotpal. During the recent operation, police identified several minors riding two-wheelers without licences, holding their guardians accountable under Section 199(A) of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. This law imposes severe penalties on guardians or vehicle owners who allow minors to drive, including up to three years of imprisonment, a fine of Rs25,000, or both. Minors involved face proceedings under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, before the Juvenile Justice Board. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The police also seized vehicles involved in these violations, signalling a zero-tolerance approach. SP Neelotpal emphasized, "Allowing minors to drive without licence endangers lives and disrupts public safety. Parents must ensure compliance with traffic rules." He warned that enforcement drives would intensify to maintain vigilance. Gadchiroli's rapid economic growth has brought new challenges. Once plagued by insurgency, the district is now witnessing increased vehicular traffic due to industrial projects and improved connectivity. The establishment of steel plants and infrastructure development has attracted workers and businesses, boosting vehicle ownership. However, this progress has been marred by a rise in social and traffic-related crimes, said a police source. Unregulated driving, speeding, and underage driving have contributed to a 30% increase in road accidents over the past year, according to police data. The district's transformation into a steel hub has amplified the need for robust traffic management to prevent further chaos on its roads. The operation was led by SP Neelotpal, with additional SP (Administration) Satya Sai Karthik, additional SP Gadchiroli Gokul Raj, and sub-divisional police officer Suraj Jagtap overseeing the effort. Inspector Vinod Chavan of Gadchiroli Police Station, along with traffic branch sub-inspector Sharad Meshram and other personnel, executed the campaign with precision.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Dwindled to a handful', only 24 armed Naxal cadres active in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli: Police
Only 24 armed Naxal cadres are currently active in Maharashtra's border district Gadchiroli, according to the police. They are mostly concentrated in security vacuum areas, such as Abujhmarh and the National Park region, along the areas bordering the Narayanpur and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh, said the police. The insurgency in Gadchiroli has been gradually declining due to the efforts of the state's elite anti-Naxal commando force, C60, as well as operations conducted by Central forces. Authorities say that the remaining insurgent group is fragmented and largely cornered, which has led to a focused approach in the ongoing anti-Naxal operations. Speaking to The Indian Express, Neelotpal, Superintendent of Police, said, 'Some part of Abujhmarh also comes under our operational area. While movement has been observed, the numbers have dwindled to a handful. This has made our strategy more specific, allowing for surrender first but initiating full-scale operations if needed.' According to officials, while 40 Naxal cadres remain on record, only 24 are active armed cadres currently believed to be operating in the region, according to intelligence sources. 'As the base shrinks, tracking and neutralising them becomes more challenging,' Neelotpal added. The Gadchiroli police say that surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy has also proven to be effective. On January 1, the wife of CPI (Maoist) central committee member Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu, Tarakka, was among 11 who surrendered before the chief minister. The biggest breakthrough came on June 22 last year when top Gadchiroli division in-charge Giridhar Tumreddy laid down arms. 'His surrender was an operational game-changer. Since then, 52 Naxals have surrendered,' SP Neelotpal said. The location from where the Gadchiroli police brought him out alive was near-impossible to breach, police sources said. Last week, 12 Maoists surrendered in Gadchiroli in front of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his visit there. With security forces increasing presence in remote pockets and a renewed push for surrenders, the district is witnessing a major shift in its decades-long conflict with left-wing extremism.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Bloody gunfight in Indravati river, 300 C60 commandos lay siege to island, wipe out oldest ‘dalam'
Nagpur: In one of the fiercest encounters that erupted in a river, not in the booby-trapped jungles, Maharashtra's 300 C-60 commandos waded through the Indravati and gunned down the Bhamragarh dalam commander and three other guerrillas, including two women rebels on Friday. The gunfight continued for three hours with commandos in waist-deep water moving fast to lay siege to a dry island patch in the middle of the river, which separates Maharashtra from Chhattisgarh. Besides engaging guerrillas in a bloody riverine battle, the daring operation wiped out one of the oldest armed formations of People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in Gadchiroli district, which had dug in heels for almost four decades. The operation led by 12 rain-drenched teams of commandos, who were mobilised from Maharashtra's frontier police post of Kawande. While bodies of the dalam commander and three cadres, including two women, were recovered from the site, two other rebels are still missing. Security forces, under additional SP M Ramesh, waited in ambush for 36 hours in pounding rain at night, before surrounding the island in the riverbed where the Bhamragarh dalam guerrillas were camping. A team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was also present to assist the C-60 commandos. This siege triggered intermittent firing before bodies of the Maoists were spotted on the ground. "We had intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists near Kawande, where we opened our last post. We launched the operation despite inclement weather at daybreak. It was a strategic success of our team," said SP Gadchiroli, Neelotpal, adding he's still probing the whereabouts of two missing cadres. A self-loading rifle, two .303 rifles, one Bharmar rifle, and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were seized from the encounter site. With the Bhamragarh dalam wrapped up by security forces in the latest face-off, Maharashtra is now left with around seven members of the Gatta dalam, three of Aheri, and about 15 members of last standing formation of the battle-hardened Company No. 10 in Maharashtra, which is based deep inside Abujmarh. Commandos are now pushing to decimate Company No. 10. The action came shortly after Maoist general secretary, Basavaraju, was gunned down along with 26 others in their stronghold. The decimation of the Bhamragarh dalam dealt a deadly blow to the Maoist movement in Maharashtra, with the rebel base in Gadchiroli totally cut off from their guerrilla headquarters of Abujmarh. Police sources stated the Bhamragarh dalam members had narrowly escaped a week ago at a location inside Abujmarh from where they abandoned their weapons and fled. Commander Sonnu Masa Pungati, known for his expertise in improvised explosive device (IED), was among those killed, along with Ashok Wadde, who had 17 cases against him, including five murders. Pungati and Wadde were residents of Kawande hamlet, which was once part of the Maoist's liberated corridor. Woman guerrilla Binjyo Hoyami, a Chhattisgarh native, who had five murder cases against her was neutralised along with her comrade Karuna Pandu, alias Mamita, resident of Gadchiroli. "We repeatedly appealed to Maoists to give up arms and return to the mainstream. With the loss of public support and military prowess, only 40 cadres are currently left in Maharashtra," said Neelotpal, adding Maharashtra would meet the March 2026 deadline set by the Union home minister. The operation was also monitored by DIG(Naxal range) Ankit Goyal. IG, State Anti-Naxal Operation Cell, Sandip Patil, stated the opening of the last post at Kawande led to the recent success. "Kawande was their last bastion on the side of Bhamragarh on the banks of Indravati. We dismantled their stone memorials and removed IEDs from the area, and ousted the 'janatana sarkar' to usher peace and development," said IG Patil. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
