Even as road and rail traffic came to a halt in Bihar and Jharkhand due to the bandh called by the PWG and Maoist Communist Centre, Jharkhand Tourism Minister Joba Manjhi inaugurated a five-day ‘Trade and Tourism Fair’ at the Jaipal Singh Stadium here this evening.The 24-hour bandh was called by the Naxals to protest against ‘‘police atrocities against their cadres, fake encounters and severe repression by the Centre’’. Along with Bihar and Jharkhand, the bandh was also observed in neighbouring states of West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. In Harihargunj block of Jharkhand’s Palamau district, telephones went dead after Naxals exploded a dynamite, damaging the telephone exchange there, last night.In Bihar, the main gate of Dania railway station located between Gomoh-Barkakana section of Eastern Railways was locked by Naxals around 8 pm yesterday. Naxals also triggered a blast at Ankura railway station between Gaya and Mughalsarai section last night, leaving parts of its walls damaged. In Kaimur valley of Bihar’s Rohtas district, Naxals set ablaze five trucks laden with goods. They also blew up rail tracks and properties at several places in Bihar today. The rail tracks were restored by evening, according to a railway spokesperson.Schedules of trains running between Kolkata and Delhi have been affected due to the bandh and several trains were running late when reports last came in. Over two dozen trains have been affected, and officials said trains will run with security escorts till the bandh was over.Meanwhile, Jharkhand Tourism Minister Manjhi, accompanied by a host of government functionaries, including Director (Tourism) Sanoj Kumar Jha who played a key role in organising the fair, today inaugurated the ‘Trade and Tourism Fair’ in Ranchi. The Jharkhand government said that the fair, which is estimated to cost the state exchequer Rs 7 lakh, is aimed at boosting trade and tourism in the state.As part of the fair, visitors would be ferried to tourist spots like the Hundru Waterfall and the Deer Park beginning tomorrow. ‘‘Jharkhand — a land of splendour where nature and the seasons dance in harmony,’’ states a flier printed by the Tourism Department.‘‘There is immense scope for tourism in the state and what we need is a proper marketing strategy. And that is what we are doing,’’ said Manjhi.But the bitter reality is that trade, industry and tourism cannot flourish here under the shadow of Naxal violence.
