In a first, state-run bus service starts in Naxal-hit Maharashtra village

 A remote village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, which was once a Naxal hotbed, has now become accessible with the starting of the state-run bus service in the area for the first time since independence, police said.

As the first bus rolled into the Markanar village on Wednesday, bringing it on the state road transport network, locals welcomed it and cheered by waving the national



flag. 

The service will benefit nearly 1,200 residents, including students, from Marknar and nearby villages, a police release said.

The bus service from the remote Markanar village to Aheri has been started for the first time since independence following efforts by the Gadchiroli police, it claimed. Gadchiroli district, known for its tribal population and Naxal affected areas, has long struggled with poor connectivity.