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PP RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHCN
DE RUEHCI #0191/01 1800840
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P R 290840Z JUN 07
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1580
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1505
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0663
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0659
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0435
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0427
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RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0287
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0174
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0116
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0078
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDHP/DIA DHP-1 WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 1947

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PGOV PTER PHUM ASEC KCRM IN
SUBJECT: MAOISTS BLOCKADE JHARKHAND TRANSPORT 
 
REF: A) KOLKATA 0144   B) KOLKATA 0074   C) 06 CALCUTTA 0535 
 
¶1. Summary:  (SBU)  Beginning June 26 the two-day east India 
economic blockade called by the Communist Party of India-Maoist 
to protest against the  setting up of special economic zones 
(SEZs), adversely affected the movement of all minerals from the 
mineral-rich state of Jharkhand.  The majority of goods trains, 
which carry coal from east India to different parts of the 
country, were cancelled.  The Maoists are now happy to raise the 
issue of SEZ to gain sympathy of the "poor" land owners.  The 
Maoists using crude bombs blasted railway tracks in Jharkhand 
and burnt down a railway station in the neighboring state of 
West Bengal. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Beginning June 26 the two-day east India economic 
blockade called by the Communist Party of India-Maoist to 
protest against the setting up of special economic zones (SEZs), 
adversely affected the movement of all minerals from the 
mineral-rich state of Jharkhand to other parts of the country. 
All goods trains originating from eastern India were either 
cancelled or rescheduled.  Movement of minerals like coal and 
iron ore via trucks also came to a grinding halt in Jharkhand. 
 
¶3. (SBU) To make their presence felt, the Maoists, using crude 
bombs, blasted railway tracks at Bokaro in Jharkhand.  In 
neighboring West Bengal they burnt down Birandih railway station 
on June 27, about 55 km from Purulia in the south western part 
of the state.  The movement of over two dozen passenger trains 
originating in eastern India were also affected.  A senior 
Indian Railways official informed Post that the majority of 
goods trains, which carry coal from east India to different 
parts of the country, were cancelled owing to this economic 
blockade.  The Maoists also warned the railway staff that 
protests against the proposed special economic zones (SEZs) 
would continue.  Similarly, in Orissa on June 26, the Maoists 
damaged a communication tower of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd at 
Balimela in Malkangiri district. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  A senior official of Coal India Limited, from the coal 
city of Dhanbad in Jharkhand, told Post that the movement of 
coal has been affected as most of the railway wagons carrying 
coal were left stranded at railway stations  owing to the 
blockade call given by the Maoists.  He added, "We learnt that 
near Parasnath station, Maoists deflated the tires of a truck 
after placing it on the railway tracks. At other places they 
tried to dump coal from trucks on the tracks in a bid to stop 
trains."   Media sources from Jharkhand and Orissa said that 
extreme Left groups have warned that there is more to come. 
Jharkhand's senior police official admitted to Post that, "we 
have tried to protect the people and the property of the state. 
It is however not possible to post policemen on all roads and 
all railway tracks.  Even if we do, not a single truck will ply 
on the roads, fearing retaliation from the Maoists." 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) President of the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry Arun Budhia informed Post that "at least 
Rs 40 million must have been lost due to the economic blockade, 
most of the loss occurring because trucks carrying minerals 
remained off the road."  Also, the President of the Jharkhand's 
Truck Owners' Welfare Association Shyam Sunder Singh from 
Jamshedpur in Jharkhand said that "the trucks did not move as 
the insurance companies will not entertain any claims during 
such blockades.  We have to safeguard our interest.  The state 
government has failed to curb the Maoist problem in the state." 
 
¶6. In an interview posted on a blog (refer to 
http://naxalresistance.wordpress.com/2007/05/ 13/interview-w 
ith-ganapathy-general-secretary-cpimaoist/ ) in May this year, the 
General Secretary of the Communist Party of India-Maoist 
Ganapathy said for the first time that a single directing center 
for the Indian revolution had emerged following the merger of 
the two major Maoist streams (Maoist Communist Center and the 
Peoples War) in September 2004.  A journalist from Bihar who 
reports on Maoists activities said that after 37 years a party 
congress - the highest authority in the party - was held earlier 
 
KOLKATA 00000191  002 OF 002 
 
 
this year.  The current bout of activity is the first by this 
unified force of Maoists.  Ganapathy in this interview mentions 
that their new central committee had time-bound programs and 
plans.  "We hope to actively intervene in these issues and build 
a broad-based militant political mass movement," he said in the 
interview. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: Maoist leader Ganapathy's statement was 
reflected in the two-day economic blockade action program of the 
Maoists to resist the "imposition" of SEZs, which they said had 
caused "massive displacement of the poor in both urban and rural 
areas, against draconian laws, state repression, unemployment, 
corruption, inflation and neglect of social welfare."  The 
Maoists are now happy to raise the issue of SEZs to gain 
sympathy of the "poor" land owners. Weak and unstable state 
government in Jharkhand and improper coordination between the 
security forces of Maoist-infested neighboring states is also 
one of the major reasons for the success of the Maoists.  End 
Comment. 
KELLY