This Maharashtra Day, a tribal hamlet affected by Maoism has road, electric borewell for the first time since independence

This Maharashtra Day is a happy day for the residents of Binagunda, a remote tribal hamlet on the border of Chhattisgarh, in the jungles of Abujmaad. The area is still one of the sensitive Maoist-affected areas. But Rama Durva, an elderly tribal man from the village, does not have to undertake an arduous trek to travel to Laheri anymore. Laheri, located 18 kilometres from Binagunda, is the biggest administrative centre in Bhamragad Taluka of Gadchiroli. The two villages are separated by mountains in the dense forest of Dandakanya, one of the last regions of Maoist insurgency in Maharashtra.

This year, when the Gadchiroli Police started working to open outposts in the remotest parts of the district to tackle Maoism, they zeroed in on Binagunda as one of the locations for the nine outposts. For years, Maoism had taken roots in the dense forests here. In the treacherous terrain, infrastructure development has hardly taken place. So when the police decided to open an outpost, their biggest challenge was the lack of roads. Gadchiroli is one of the biggest districts of Maharashtra geographically. Binagunda lies 220 kilometres away from Gadchiroli city, in Bhamragad district.