Himalayan News Service

Phidim, January 13:

Maoists have asked all teachers of the 40 VDCs in Panchthar district to donate two-months’ salary to the party every year. In a statement issued by the ‘Maoist people’s committee’ today, the teachers have been asked to pay 15 days’ salary as installment and as ‘bunker and trench tax.’ According to the statement, the new rule will be effective from this week. A teacher of the Tanglepa Primary School of Memeng VDC-4 said that the new demands would badly hit the teachers.

Maoists’ district member Santosh said the party has levied the ‘tax’ to cover the expenses incurred in digging bunkers and trenches. There are 203 primary schools, 39 lower secondary schools and 46 primary schools in the district. Records at the District Education Office show that there are 1,073 primary school teachers, 203 lower secondary teachers and 111 secondary school teachers. The Maoists will be collecting over Rs 7.12m a year from them. Santosh said the Maoists have also been collecting Rs 170m from farmers, government employees and businessmen every year. Meanwhile, in Ilam, Maoists have announced that they have seized property — and immovable — of all those who refused to donate them cash.

Maoists’ district-level organisation, in a press release, said they have seized property belonging to former minister of Ilam municipality-2, Prem Raj Angdabe, former mayor of Ilam municipality, Mahesh Basnet and proprietor of Ilami Pathibhara enterprises, Prahlad Chaudhary. Maoists had demanded a huge sum from them. The victims admitted that their property has been seized by the Maoists.