Bus service reaches Maoist stronghold of Kutul village in Abujhmad
Narayanpur: In a development, reflecting the changing scenario in interiors of Bastar, the southernmost division of Chhattisgarh marred by Maoist or the Naxal-insurgency, bus service has now reached the remote locality of Kutul.
Located at a distance of around 50 kilometers from district headquarter Narayanpur, Kutul is once considered a hotbed of ‘red terror’ with many describing it as one of the key bastions of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) in Abujhmad.
The newly started bus service will greatly benefit the residents of remote villages like Basing, Kohkameta, Irkbhatti Kodilar, Kurusnar, Kutul, Kundala and Kachchapal who earlier used to walk through forest trails to reach Narayanpur for their administrative work and other needs.
In absence of the bus services people were forced to carry their sick ones with great difficulty, particularly in rainy season when rivers are over swollen. The bus service has eased the transportation, providing great relief to the residents. A similar bus service has also been started between Narayanpur to Maspur, connecting 14 other remote villages.
Earlier in January this year, bus services between Bijapur and Pamed was restored after a significant gap of over 40 years. The development provide much awaited relief for the commuters reducing the distance by around 100 kilometers.
Following the restoration of the route, the government has also completed the construction of a bridge on Chintwagu river. The opening of the bridge will allow the commuters to directly reach Pamed even in rainy season.
सुशासन से सुदूर ग्रामों के बीच घट रही है दूरियाँ,
— CMO Chhattisgarh (@ChhattisgarhCMO) June 5, 2025
चिंतवागु नदी पर पुल बनने से बीजापुर और पामेड़ की दूरी 210 किलोमीटर से घटकर 110 किलोमीटर रह गई है। इससे आसपास के क्षेत्रवासियों के लिए आवागमन तो सुगम हुआ ही, विकास कार्यों को भी इससे रफ्तार मिलेगी। pic.twitter.com/GMA7zXjTcy
The administration’s move to connect these areas to district headquarters with direct bus service is seen as a significant step towards linking the villagers to the mainstream of development.
Of late the security forces have established 14 new security camps in the Abujhmad region, a citadel of CPI (Maoist) till recent. The latest of these camps was opened by the personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Bedmakoti village near Kutul in March.
The opening of these camps have enabled the administration to pace up developments works such as construction of roads, culverts, bridges and projects linked with electrification and drinking water under the flagship ‘Niyad Nelanar’(Your good village) scheme of the state government.
Launched in 2024, the Niyad Nelanar scheme aims to cover villages, falling under the radius of 5km of each security camp opened in core Maoist zone. The scheme provides benefits of various government schemes to the residents.
In addition, the administration has also started installing mobile towers to boost telecommunication services in areas earlier infested by red terror activities. This has resulted in improvement of communication system along enabling access to educational, health and various other administrative services to the villagers. According to government, over 200 mobile towers have already been installed at remote localities in Bastar since early 2024.
Development projects being carried out under the Niyad Nelanar has elated the residents of Abujhmad who in turn are expressing gratitude to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. According to villagers, “the scheme has brought new lights to their lives.”
Located along the borders of Maharashtra, Abujhmad was considered the strongest citadel of Maoist till recent. The region is filled with dense forests and tough terrain providing safe haven for Maoists.
Security forces however have firmed their presence in Abujhmad lately, erecting dozens of camp at crucial locations. This comes after the Anti-Maoist campaign picked up pace with Union Government announcing a deadline to wipe out Maoist insurgency from the country before March next year.