Chhattisgarh: Opening of security camps chokes Maoists’ revenue sources in Bastar

The ‘extortion industry’ of the Maoists in Bastar has been hit hard with the opening of security camps in the Naxal strongholds, leading to the decline of their illicit earnings from around Rs 1400 crore in 2010 to around Rs 400 crore in 2023, sources in State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) said on Saturday.

As many as 23 security camps have been opened in remote Bastar, comprising seven districts, in 2023-24 alone with the security brass moving ahead with the strategy to make inroads into the Naxal strongholds, called in the red parlance as ‘liberated zone’.

“The establishment of security camps in the Naxal strongholds has a multiple integrated impact, restricting movements of the senior Maoist leaders, hitting the medical and logistic supply networks and consequently the revenue sources of the ultras”, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj told this newspaper.

According to the SIB sources, opening of a security camp paves way for the development of road and communication infrastructures, leading to restriction of movements of Maoists in a radius of seven-eight km from it.

This denies the Maoists to hold meetings with the local tribals, who depend on forest produce for their livelihood, to extort money, called in Naxal parlance as ‘party chanda’, from them, Mr Sunderraj said.

A tribal family earns around Rs 15,000 annually from tendu patta collection. Maoists impose a ten percent cut of their earnings.

This apart, the ultras also levy the tendu patta contractors at the rate of 15 percent, sources said.

The Naxals charge a levy of Rs 5,000 annually on the tractor owners and Rs 1200 on a bike owner. The ultras collect Rs 10-15 per month from a common villager as ‘party chanda’.

Maoists also levy the construction contractors and transporters of coal and other minerals operating in their strongholds.

The National Investigation Agency as well as the recently formed State Investigation Agency (SIA) has intensified operations to choke the Maoists’ revenue sources, SIB sources said.

The NIA has conducted searches at several places in Bastar and other places of Chhattisgarh recently to trail the sources of revenues of Maoists.

The NIA has recently seized Rs 9.9 lakhs during searches in north Bastar district of Kanker.

The SIA is also pursuing a couple of money trail cases involving the ultras, the SIB sources said.