Protests mar rlys' survey to lay tracks in Bastar

Indian Railways and the Chhattisgarh government are at work to lay railway tracks and start train services inside the Naxal-affected Bastar region.

- Prawesh Lama

NEW DELHI: Railway authorities are conducting a final location survey before preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed 160-km railway line from Kothagudem in Telangana to Kirandul in Chhattisgarh.

Once completed, it will be the first train services in areas that have been for decades a red corridor. The Union and state governments have planned to make Bastar accessible to all while keeping up with the March 31, 2026 deadline set by the Centre to eliminate Naxalism.

However, the survey work has faced hurdles in Naxal-affected districts such as Dantewada and Bijapur. The survey teams faced protests and also came under attacks allegedly by Maoist-supported groups.

The chairman of the Railway Board, Satish Kumar, has written to the Chhattisgarh government about difficulties its officers were facing in conducting the final location survey in Naxal-affected areas in Bastar, officials aware of the matter said.