6,000 tribal in lurch as Gadchiroli police seize Rs1.2 cr cash

Nagpur: After police recently seized Rs1.2 crore in cash, payments have been held up for tendu leaf collection, a major source of income for at least 6,000 tribals in the backward Bhamragarh tehsil of Gadchiroli. Locals say the money was for labourers, while the police suspect the funds were being routed to Naxals.
Labourers from Mallampudur, Laheri, Hodri, Botanfundi, Manne Rajaram, Dhirangi, Pally, Yerkedume, Bamanpalli and Madevelli gram panchayats now do not know when they will be paid.The season ended on June 8, and the tendu leaves they collected have already been taken away, but their payments are yet to reach them.
This has upended their lives, as this seasonal income funds the education of their children, investment for agricultural activities and so on.
The villagers, who met collector Deepak Singla last week, said the payments were being sent by tendu contractors Mohd Basu Miya and Mohd Alliuddin from Telangana. But the cash Rs1.2 crore was seized by the police. The cops claim the money was being taken for Maoists, who would have used it for sabotage activities.
One of the villagers said the tendu season is the most productive period of the district, and the tribal economy revolves around it. “We have no cash to purchase seeds, send our children to school, see doctors or celebrate festivals,” he said.
It’s learnt the nine gram panchayats of Bhamragarh tehsil had unanimously allotted the contract to Basu and Alliuddin without auction since the pandemic lockdown did not allow the routine processes and formalities.
After the tendu leaves were collected, the contractor had taken them away too since the villagers have no place to store them till the payments were made. “We had to give away the collected leaves as they would have got damaged in the rainy season,” said a villager.
In the first week of June, Gadchiroli police seized cash Rs2.20 crore in two separate cars following a tip-off that the money was being routed to Maoists in South Gadchiroli for subversive activities.
The police released Rs99.30 lakh cash after the concerned persons produced relevant documents and details of banking and commercial transactions.
The Rs1.20 crore was being ferried by one Sanjay Awthare. Police had arrested Awthare and his driver before handing over the cash to the income tax department. Later, tendu contractors Basu Miya and Alliuddin too were booked in the case and made co-accused. Police said the cash belonged to Basu and Aliuddin but they did not turn up with documents or banking details.
SP Balkawade said if the cash seized was really meant for distribution among labourers then the contractors can come forward and furnish details to support their claims.