Bhubaneswar, Dec 23

Maoists torched two vehicles in Odisha's Koraput district to protest the construction of a road in the region, police said Monday.

The rebels raided the camp of a contractor near Karli village, over 500 km from here, Sunday evening and set fire to a tipper and a JCB machine parked near it, Inspector-in -Charge K.C. Sethi told IANS.

The vehicles were being used in road construction under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), he said.

The rebels are active in more than half of the state's 30 districts. They are opposing construction of roads in the interior areas, considered to be their strong holds, to impede movement of security forces.

The latest incident comes two days after left wing extremists set ablaze two tractors and a JCB excavator at a road construction site in neighbouring Rayagada district.

By:IANS