Crores spent over decades, 910-metre bridge, a final surrender: How Odisha district, once a Maoist hotbed, became ‘Naxal-free’

The district, which shares a border with Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, was affected by Left-wing extremism, with Maoists using its geography to their advantage.

The Swabhiman Anchal area of the district, which was once cut off due to the construction of a 65-km water channel as part of the Balimela reservoir project in the early 1960s, served as a hideout for Maoists due to its isolation.

In 2008, 39 security personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush near Balimela reservoir. The district hogged the limelight in February 2011 after Maoists abducted the then Malkangiri District Collector R Vineel Krishna and a junior engineer while they were inspecting works in the cut-off areas and kept them hostage for eight days. They were released after bail was granted to top Maoist leader Ganti Prasadam. A year later, four BSF personnel, including a commandant, were killed in a landmine blast.

The Maoist threat in the region had forced the State Election Commission (SEC) to postpone the panchayat polls in 18 gram panchayats and two zilla parishad zones in the Chitrakonda block, which covers the cut-off area in the district.

The completion of the construction of a 910-metre bridge over the river Gurupriya in July 2018, which connected nearly 170 villages in the cut-off area, dealt a blow to Maoist activities. It took more than four decades and an investment of Rs 172 crore to erect the structure, which began construction in the mid 1980s with an estimate of Rs 8 crore. The construction got delayed due to resistance by Maoists, prompting the government to deploy BSF personnel in the area in 2015.

The construction of the bridge helped the government accelerate the construction of all-weather roads in the villages, where over 30,000 people lived, and end Maoist dominance in the area. The BSF also set up multiple company operating bases (COB) — heavily-armed outposts — to combat Maoists in the Swabhiman Anchal following the construction of the bridge.

“Massive infrastructure works were taken up in the Swabhiman Anchal after the construction of the bridge under the Socio-Economic Transformation and Upliftment (SETU) initiative. All-weather roads, bridges and electrification works were initiated under the scheme. While adequate livelihood opportunities were also created for people in the region. All these factors helped to curb Maoist activities in the region,” said a senior government official.

According to Malkangiri District Collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, almost all major habitations in Swabhiman Anchal have been connected with all-weather roads.

During the 2024 polls, the region saw as many as 30 polling booths — the highest till date.

According to MHA sources, the number of LWE districts has reduced to eight in the country, including one (Kandhamal) in Odisha.