Maoist groups active in Kandhamal jungle belts, hampering development projects

Maoist presence continues to remain a challenge in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, with reports confirming that insurgents are active in 8 out of the district’s 12 blocks. The affected areas include Phiringia, Khajuripada, Chakapada, Raikia, Baliguda, Tumudibandh, Kotagarh, and Daringbadi, where Maoist movements and camps have been detected deep inside the forests.

Officials and security sources indicate that cadres of the CPI (Maoist)’s Bansadhara–Ghumusar–Nagavali (BGN) Division, as well as the Kalahandi–Kandhamal–Boudh–Nayagarh (KKBN) Division are currently operating in the region.

Their strongholds stretch across a vast forest corridor beginning from Rampur in Kalahandi through Belghar, Barakhama, Sadingia, Gochhapada, and Balandapada in Kandhamal, extending to Kantamal in Boudh and further up to the Padmapur forests along the Bolangir border.

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Another corridor runs from the Gajapati–Kandhamal boundary at Katingia through Ranaba and Indragarh in Raikia, reaching Gasamatha in Chakapada, and further into Banigocha, Badala, and Adnigada forests leading into Boudh district.

Reports suggest that, particularly, the KKBN Division Maoists are highly active, with 8 to 10 armed groups operating simultaneously in different jungle areas.

Local intellectuals point out that Maoist disturbances have stalled or delayed several developmental initiatives in Kandhamal. 

The state police and security forces have stepped up surveillance in the affected areas, but the challenge of dismantling long-established Maoist corridors remains a major concern for both governance and development.