Tuesday, September 12 2006 15:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: With Maoists intensifying their extortion drives, the Nepalese Government has decided to raise the 'serious' issue during the forthcoming high-level talks between Prime Minister G P Koirala and rebel supreme Prachanda.

"The Maoists' act of demanding 50 per cent of the revenue collected by Nepal Telecom and Nepal Electricity Authority in some districts including Surkhet could adversely affect the national economy," Home Ministry sources said.

So, the Government has decided to take up the issue seriously during the next talks, the sources said.

The Maoists have intensified their extortion drives in Kathmandu as the Vijaya Dashami festival is approaching.

They are also forcibly collecting donations from journalists in Kathmandu, a mediaperson said on condition of anonymity.

This contradicts Maoist chief Prachanda's statement that cadres have been instructed not to collect donation except those coming in voluntarily.

The Maoists are collecting money in different names from same business organizations, complained a businessman in Kathmandu.

Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has called on the Maoists to stop extortion by renouncing the politics of violence as per the understanding reached among the Government, seven political parties and the Maoists.

Speaking at a programe in the capital yesterday, Mahat said there could be the fear of capital outflow as a result of extortion carried out by the Maoists.

The Government negotiating team, meanwhile, has started discussions to finalise the agenda for the summit-level talks to clear obstacles on way to forming an interim government inclusive of the Maoists and declaring a date for the constituent assembly elections.

The Government team is headed by Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitoula and the Maoist negotiating team led by spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

After the government and Maoist negotiating teams finalise agenda for talks, top leaders of the Seven Party Alliance would review it.