Pokhara, March 26:

Cadres of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) have intensified money extortion drive in Pokhara valley for the past few weeks.

Maoists are mainly extorting money from industrial and business houses and tourism entrepreneurs, according to the people concerned.

Kali Bahadur Adhikari, former member of Nepal Tourism Board and also the coordinator of Tourism Entrepreneurs’ Society, said Maoists are collecting donations from entrepreneurs. “As such the tourism sector is facing crisis for the past few years owing to different reasons and the Maoists’ donation collection campaign has hit it hard,” he said. “Entrepreneurs are facing added troubles.

If we provide donation to Maoists, security forces take action against us and if we do not provide it, Maoists threaten us,” said a member of the Trekking Agents’ Association of Nepal’s regional chapter.

The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) had even warned owners of boarding schools and entrepreneurs by summoning them to the RNA’s western division headquarters after receiving information that they were providing donation to the Maoists.

It is learnt that the Maoists have deployed three cadres to extort money from different sectors in Pokhara but the entrepreneurs are confused as the names and ranks of the cadres have not been disclosed.

A few weeks ago, Maoists had issued a statement warning all to be conscious about a possible money extortion by third persons in the name of Maoists.

Rajendra Kumar Lalchan, a businessman, said businessmen here were facing difficulties due to the Maoists’ money extortion drive. He said few businessmen and entrepreneurs here have even changed their mobile phone numbers to avoid the Maoists.

Though the entrepreneurs lament the extortion by the Maoists, they deny to make public the entrepreneurs’ names from whom the Maoists have extorted money due to possible pressure from both sides — Maoist themselves and the security forces.