Raipur, July 26 (IANS) The Chhattisgarh government Tuesday said it would pump in at least Rs.60 crore for building infrastructure in Bijapur district, amongst the worst hit by Maoist insurgency.


"The amount is to be spent for construction of roads, schools, hospitals and panchayat buildings across Bijapur district," an official statement said.

It claimed that the government was striving to improve basic facilities in the district, which is home to poor tribals caught in Maoist violence since the late 1980s.

Bijapur is a part of the 40,000 sq km Bastar region where Maoists have bombed dozens of government buildings, mainly schools, since 2005 as paramilitary forces were using such buildings as a temporary base in the fight against the guerrillas.

The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has called for a weeklong shutdown in Bastar starting from Thursday.

The outfit, having an estimated 10,000 cadres armed with AK-47s and rocket launchers, has vowed to disrupt traffic and normal life during the strike period.