Many students who are studying in Class 9 and 10 cannot attend their classes and normal life has virtually come to a standstill in Lalgarh (in West Midnapore).'

'We definitely want development but not at the cost of the day-to-day life of common people. We think that normal life must go on along with the police operation in the area,' Tudu said.

Lalgarh, about 180 km from Kolkata, has been on the boil since November last year when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

Tribals launched an agitation, complaining of police atrocities after the blast, and virtually cut off the area from the rest of the district.

Last month the state government launched an operation -- of the state police and central forces -- in Lalgarh to flush out the Maoists who had declared the zone 'liberated'.