Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday expressed grave concern over big corporate houses paying huge cash to the Naxalites as “protection money” to run their operations at a time when government authorities are planning to cut the fund supply to the Left extremists.
Though the Union Home Minister did not name any corporate house, but his finger was towards a leading company that had recently come under the scanner for allegedly paying huge protection money to Naxalites for smooth functioning of its operation in Chhattisgarh.
Petty contractors or small traders paying protection money could be understood because of the situation prevailing in the interior areas and one should have sympathy for them. “But big corporate houses paying protection money is highly condemnable,” Chidambaram said after chairing a high level meeting convened to discuss about the strategy to combat the red army.
The intelligence agencies of the Union Government had also been getting inputs about big corporate houses having operations in the Naxal-infested pockets were paying hefty cash to the rebels as protection money. “We have been passing such inputs to the states concerned as it is the state that has to take action,” Chidambaram added.
Chhattisgarh, which has been endowed with rich minerals, have major deposits in the pockets that are under the sway of the Left radical group. Dantewada that is considered to be country’s worst Naxal-infested district houses a high grade iron ore deposits that has high demand in the international markets.
Many big corporate houses have been allotted mines in the area. But following Naxal threats, the work to develop the mines could not be started by most of the companies. Even many industrial projects in the Naxal infested areas have been stranded following rebels’ opposition.