(a) whether the Government is aware of the growing interference of naxals/Maoists in the
construction of various undergoing infrastructure projects in Bihar;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the employees of the said projects are also receiving threats and demand of
levy from the naxalites;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the measures taken by the Government to provide security to the said employees to
ensure timely completion of the projects?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI R.P.N. SINGH)
(a) to (d): The present Left Wing Extremism (LWE) scenario poses a serious threat to various
infrastructure projects in the country including in Bihar. Frequent instances have been noticed
of the CPI(Maoist) party destroying infrastructure development projects, road and bridge
construction works in Maoist strongholds in several districts including Gaya, Jehanabad,
Aurangabad, Lakhisarai, Banka and Jamui in Bihar. Under a planned strategy, the CPI (Maoist)
and its front organizations, vehemently oppose most development projects, with a view to stall
developmental activities in the country to keep the population in their strongholds marginalized.
They launch a concerted propaganda campaign by mobilizing the local communities against
development projects and the opposition to such projects include violent activities like
damaging the machinery, looting and damaging raw material, intimidation and killing of
contractors, officials and security personnel connected with the project and also extorting
of money through coercive means. On several occasions, the Maoists have stopped the construction
projects due to non-payment of ‘levy’.
The opposition to the bigger infrastructure projects stems from the fact that once the affected
areas are opened for development, it will cease to provide them with cadres and hideouts to carry
on their so called ‘protracted peoples war’ against the Indian State.
Besides, development projects, the Left Wing Extremists often resort to frequent attacks on other
economic infrastructure like Public/ Private sector units, Railway property, Telephone Exchanges
/ Mobile towers, Power infrastructure, Roads, School and Panchayat buildings etc.
(e): ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ being State subjects, action with respect to maintenance of
law and order lies primarily in the domain of the State Governments concerned. The Central
Government has a holistic approach towards combating LWE wherein it supplements the efforts of
the State Governments over a wide range of issues including deployment of CAPFs, assistance in
implementation of development schemes, improving governance and capacity building by the States
in various areas. It is the belief of the Government of India that a combination of calibrated
police action, focused development efforts and improvement in governance will yield the desired
results against LWE. In addition, continuous upgradation of security infrastructure;
intensification of anti-Maoist operations to dominate the affected areas; securing the roads of
strategic importance are also part of the overall strategy.