Patna, (Bihar Times): Those who believe in the philosophy of first destruction, then construction once again seem to have the last laugh in rural Bihar.

Maoists have put a stop on road construction works in many parts of Bihar’s interior. Contractors engaged in several projects have abandoned work fearing for their lives. But then this is not a new phenomenon. In the decade of 1980s and 1990s many government works could not be completed because of the Maoist menace. Not only that at places they even blew up roads and bridges as they think that good communication network only facilitate the police to enter their hideouts.

The only difference now is that while in the past their terror was confined to the then central Bihar now it has spread to other parts of the state too.

According to reports no work is going on in over a dozen road construction projects in Gaya district, including those in Imamganj, the constituency of state Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary. Incidentally, Choudhary was earlier himself considered to be close to the Maoists.

It needs to be recalled that some weeks back Maoists demanded Rs 220 million from the Hyderabad-based company Engineering and Construction Inc. (ECI), which is constructing roads in Rohtas district.

But apart from Maoists there are several gangs––a couple of them led by ruling Janata Dal (United) MLAs––who extort money from various engineering firms engaged in the construction work.