Jagdalpur:
After the Naxal attack in Tongal on Tuesday in which 15 jawans of a patrol team of 50 CRPF and state police officials were killed, work at most of the road construction sites in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region have come to a grinding halt.
The security forces have now been sent to interior areas for combing operations. Without a protection cover, the contractors and workers are not willing to risk their lives at the construction sites which have always been a target of the Naxals.
While the daily wagers from the Bastar region are worried after the recent attack, 25-year-old Lassu Ram from a remote village in Sukma district, along with his father Suka Ram, work on a road construction site and earn just enough to support their family of eight. "After the recent attack we are scared. But I will continue to go for construction work as without working how will I earn and support my family," Lassu Ram told NDTV.
Four trucks were set on fire in the Tongal attack to prevent additional forces from reaching the encounter spot. Two of those trucks belonged to a construction company which in last two years has lost a whopping 16 trucks to Naxal violence.
"There is pressure from the government that we continue our work. But security seems to have failed, so working in this hostile condition is going to be very difficult for us. If we do not complete work on time, we are fined," state chief of Builders Association of India NR Parasar says.
Officials in the Chhattisgarh administration refused to comment on the concerns of the builders and workers. But the police have assured them of continued protection.
"We make plans on a daily basis and also allow workers to take shelters in our camp. To ensure they are safe, we also start first on a route and they follow us from a safe distance," Jagdalpur Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav told NDTV.