Cut off from world, a camp under seige

This time the relief trucks waited for days at the Dornapal Police Station before they began their slow journey on Saturday with 400 security personnel in tow, including members of the STF, CRPF and some SPOs. The convoy also has labourers, tippers and JCBs to clear the blockades and to make roads where none exist. It will also have to take a detour around the damaged bridges.

If the administration is lucky, the convoy will reach the camp in a day. This time, however, the administration is apprehending an attack due to the recent crackdown on Naxalites.

There is a shorter route via Aranpur, but a deserted ghat section makes the convoy an easy target. 8220;They can attack from all sides,8221; Dantewada Collector S P Shori told The Indian Express. The administration does its best to keep the movement details under wraps fearing the Naxalites might outsmart them.

Early on Friday, the security agencies had a tough time repelling a Naxalite attack in Dubbatota, just five km from where the relief material was stocked.

Power supply to the Jagargunda camp had been disconnected some months ago. The camp8217;s only link to the outside world now are the wireless sets used by security personnel. Though the camp has a strong security presence, the extremists have made several attempts to attack the camp and its inmates over the last year.