Date | Feb 06, 2017:

Forty-three days after Naxalites carried out the biggest arson in history by setting fire to 80 vehicles, including 76 trucks, at the Lloyd Metals’ iron ore mine site at Surjagarh in Etapalli tehsil of Gadchiroli, the mining operation began Sunday under heavy police protection. “Ten trucks transported the ore out from the site Sunday,” said Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Abhinav Deshmukh. A 300-strong specially sanctioned force of State Reserve Police has been deployed to provide protection to the mining operation.

The force was sanctioned on a temporary basis in the immediate aftermath of the Naxal arson. It was provided training in anti-Naxal operations at the Jungle Warfare Training Centre in Gadchiroli over the past month.

In addition, the state government has also sanctioned Rs 14 crore to build five new posts at Yelchin, Nender, Pipli Burgi, Morewada and Tumarkoti, mostly on Etapalli-Chhattisgarh border. “The posts will be of strategic importance for all future mining operations in the iron ore belt extending from Etapalli to north Bhamragarh,” said Deshmukh.

In another related development, the forest department gave permission to clear 78 hectare of trees at the Lloyd Metals site Saturday. “This will enable the SRP to be posted at the site on a regular basis. Of course, the clearing of trees will take some time. Till then, the SRP will be stationed at the nearby Hedri post from where it will go to the mining site, provide cover and then return,” Deshmukh added.

Till now, the company has been mining only on four of the 348 hectares it has been leased for mining iron ore.

Earlier, all the vehicles torched in the December 23 Naxal arson were removed from the spot.

(Source: http://indianexpress.com/)