Over 200 tribal people of Sapparla village in GK Veedhi mandal and Ammavari Darakonda took out a rally on Monday asking Maoists not to damage cell towers during the ongoing PLGA (Peoples Liberation Guerilla Army) Week which began on Sunday. They staged a sit-in near the cell towers highlighting the need for cell connectivity in the Agency areas.

In the past cell towers bore the brunt as Maoists had blasted a number of towers. In 2017, the cell towers at Darakonda and in GK Veedhi were destroyed by Maoists. Till date Maoists destroyed at least eight cell towers at different places in the Agency areas and most of them belonged to BSNL and because of it, private operators stay away from setting up towers in the Agency, says a senior police officer.

According to Superintendent of Police, Visakhapatnam, Attada Babujee, cell network has become the lifeline for the girijans in the Agency area of the district.

Through the network, they not only stay connected to their near and dear, but also get medical aid.  Now we have the motorbike and 108 ambulances in the Agency areas and they can be reached by a call over mobile. Tribal people get a lot of other information pertaining to weather, agriculture and eduction through mobile network,  says the SP.

Second day peaceful

Meanwhile, the second day of the PLGA Week passed off peacefully with no untoward incident being reported from any part of the Agency.

In another major development, posters against the PLGA Week surfaced at Busiputtu in Munchingput mandal, Bongaram in Peddabayalu mandal and Madhigaruvu in G. Madugula mandal. All the places are suggested to be the Maoist hotbeds and posters were released in the name of Girijan Abhyudaya Sangam.

The posters not only questioned the need for observation of the PLGA Week but also asked the Maoists to stay away from the innocent tribal people.