NAXAL-LEVY TWO LAST

Sources said the levy could have been increased because
of shift in Naxal strategy as they are now increasingly
looking at acquisition of foreign-made arms than just
depending on weapons looted from the security forces.

Taking the example of India's eastern state of Jharkhand,
sources said though Communist Party of India (Maoist) still
remains the prominent Naxal group, there are other splinter
groups which too have now started imposing 'levy' besides
indulging in kidnapping, looting and narcotics trade, which
results in around Rs 300 crore as annual income only from the
state.
If a conservative estimate is taken of the income
generated from 'levy' in the seven most Naxal-infested states
-- Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar,
West Bengal and Maharashtra -- security agencies feel the
collection from these areas, which are commonly referred to as
'red corridor', amounts to nearly Rs 1,500 crore.
While the levy is charged on a monthly or annual basis,
the Naxals demand money from industries functioning in the
areas "as and when they need" and even issue receipts for the
same.
At times, the levy is charged not only in cash but also
in kind as revealed by the arrest of officials of a Delhi-
based construction firm, having projects in Naxal area,
earlier this year. They had allegedly procured communication
devices and bullet-proof jackets for the left wing extremists.
PTI SAP
ANU


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