Raipur, Oct 26 (IANS) Security has been strengthened and patrolling intensified Monday at National Mineral Development Corp’s (NMDC) iron ore mines in Chhattisgarh, a day after Maoists killed four security personnel guarding the facilities, a senior official said.
“The Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) has strengthened security across NMDC’s iron ore deposits at Bailadila hills in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district to counter any further attacks by Maoists,” S.P Himanshu, NMDC assistant general manager in Dantewada, told IANS over phone.

He said that mining activities remained unaffected despite Maoists’ attack Sunday.

“The iron ore excavation has not been hit by Sunday’s unfortunate incident. Mining work is on as usual,” he said.

An explosion Sunday evening killed four CISF troopers and injured two of their colleagues when the vehicle they were travelling in ran over a landmine planted by the Maoists just outside NMDC’s iron ore deposit number-10 in Dantewada’s Bacheli pockets.

Referring to the decade-old Maoist violence in the region, Himanshu said: “Blast and violence definitely creates a scare, but here everybody is used to live in such an atmosphere.”

Armed Maoists had in February 2006 stormed into NMDC complex in Dantewada district, killing eight CISF men and looting some 20 tonnes of explosives that were kept stored by the company to blast rocks for mining purposes.

India’s largest iron ore producer and exporter in public sector, NMDC has major mining facility in Dantewada’s Bailadila hills that contributes nearly 80 percent of the firm’s annual output.