Rail and road traffic in Jharkhand was badly hit Sunday due to a 72-hour strike called by the Maoists to protest a proposed offensive against them, officials said.

Railway authorities decided to cancel seven train services and divert five others, including the Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, in the wake of the Moaist strike beginning Saturday midnight. More than 80 percent of railway stations in Jharkhand fall in Maoist-infested areas.

"In the given situation, precautions are the only way to minimise the Maoist threat. Trains have been cancelled or diverted as Maoists have started targeting passenger trains," an official of Hatia railway division told IANS.

Road services were also badly affected - no long-route buses were plying, the national highways wore a deserted look and transportation in mining areas came to a standstill.

The banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has called a three-day strike in four states - Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal - to protest the proposed offensive against them known as Green Hunt.

Jharkhand police chief Neyaz Ahmad had a fortnight ago said that 70 to 75 percent of the preparations for the offensive against Maoists were complete.

Date : 07/02/2010. News by Newsofap.com