Gaya, Apr 6 (ANI): Work and normal activity in Bihar and Jharkhand came to a standstill as Maoists called for a 48-hour shutdown on Saturday.
The shutdown called by extremist group Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) is a consequence of the killing of 10 its cadres by a rival Maoist group on March 28.
Block Officer of the Bihar transport depot, Ashok Kumar said that the state transport authorities would incur losses upto $7,298.03 in these 48-hours.
"Almost 120 vehicles are not operating today in the whole block. The state is incurring a loss of 2 lakh rupees every day and the total loss after tomorrow's shutdown will be 4 lakh rupees," he said.
In Gaya, locals who used public transport were left stranded, as trains and buses did not ply.
Shops in the major markets in capital city of Ranchi of eastern Jharkhand state remained closed and roads wore a deserted look.
A newspaper vendor, Nar Bahadur Chhetri said that it becomes difficult for the daily wage earners to earn their livelihood in wake of such shutdowns.
"Shutdown like this by Maoists or by any other party directly affects us. We cannot do business normally, there is no public mode of transport. Daily wage workers are the worst affected by shutdowns like this," he said.
In the last few years, the rebels have stepped up their efforts against the government as well as the locals, after the people complained that Maoist activities such as killings and abductions increased considerably in the area.
Maoists have significantly increased their presence in tribal and rural regions in the states of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.
The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of millions of landless labourers and marginal farmers.
However, the government has termed them to be India's main internal security threat and an obstacle to growth in Asia's third-largest economy. (ANI)
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