M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Dec. 14: Palamu MP V D Ram has demanded the restoration of the special central assistance to Palamu which was withheld by the central government in the ongoing financial year.
He said that he also raised this issue during the zero hour in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Special Central Assistance is a fund given by the Home Ministry to fill the critical gaps in the infrastructure of road and communication in the Naxal hit districts across the country. Palamu used to get nearly Rs. 33 crores every financial year for a long time.
According to the MP, it is because the Palamu administration is said to have given a report that Naxalism is over in this once upon a time left-wing extremist-hit district.
He further said that he has facts and figures which belie this claim of the district administration of having no extremism in Palamu now.
According to sources, six companies of the CRPF are still doing strategic importance work to contain and curb Naxal movement or activities. One of its camps is at Chak, lying on the border of Bihar, about which it is said that if this post is withdrawn then the Naxals from Bihar will flood Palamu.
A contractor begging for anonymity said that he always needs to seek permission from the Naxals first to start road building and this permission comes for a heavy premium called a levy.
SP Palamu Chandan kr Sinha also said there is no substance to say that Naxalism is out of Palamu.
“It is down but not out. It is still here to be curbed and contained and our police have been giving Naxals less space and breathing time,” said the SP.
When asked if he has sent the debatable report that there is no extremism in Palamu, SP Sinha said very emphatically, “No. I have not sent any such report. It must have been sent by my predecessor here.”
The SP further said that the height of Naxal violence is seen in the number of strikes and offensives against the police. Police in Palamu have not been targeted by the Naxals in the past few years and hence an inference appears to have been drawn that Naxalism is out and gone from Palamu which is far from true.
