Raighar: People in Raighar area of Nabarangpur district were panicked after Maoists put up banners and posters Tuesday. Maoists have opposed the tree felling in forests and demanded that the price of Kendu leaves be hiked to Rs 500.
According to reports, Raighar used to be a Maoist hotbed earlier. Their activities had been suppressed for a few years.
Now, the posters and banners have made their presence felt in Raighar block. Red banners were hung across a road in Hatiganon panchayat Tuesday night and blocked the road by laying logs.
Hatigaon bordering on Chhattisgarh is 25 km from the block headquarters. In the banners, Maoists have demanded bonus to kendu leaf pluckers in 15 days. They have appealed to the people to join their movement for rights on jal, jami and jungle.
They also wanted to raise the prices of mahula flowers to Rs 100 per kg; Rs 70 to tamarind; Rs 90 to mustard; wild tulasi to Rs 25 and Rs 500 to incense sticks per kg.
“As life of kendu leaf pluckers is always fraught with danger in forests, they should be given insurance cover of Rs 6 lakh in case of death; Rs 4.5 lakh in case of grievous injuries.
People should come out to demand their rights,” they said on the banners. Some bundles of wires were found at the place while holes on the ground were found n the area. People suspected that the left wing ultras might have planted tiffin bombs in the area.
PNN