IMPHAL, Apr 27:  With a view to tackle the menace of extortion of salary of its employees by militants who demand percentage cuts, the Manipur government has made compulsory payment of salaries and other entitlement employees through bank accounts. The state finance department has issued an order on April 18 last asking all the employees to open bank accounts compulsorily within this current month April, official source said today. The move of the state finance department is a part of the Manipur government’s action plan to control/minimize extortion/threat
by the undergrounds. Manipur government has set up a Special Cell in the state police department to deal with the subject in February this year. The set up will have its branches in Assam, Nagaland, West Bengal, Karnataka and New Delhi etc. which would work in co-ordination with the police in these states. Another objective of the payment of salaries is to take advantage of technological advancement in the field of financial management and to minimize handling of cash by government offices and institutions, it said. The payment of salaries will be effective from May 1 next, said a government order which also asked all the heads of departments responsible, banks and employees to comply strictly with the procedure laid down under the new system. With the introduction of the new system of drawal and disbursement of pay and allowances, general provident funds (GPF)/medical advance, TA/DA and other allowances and entitlement of employees through bank accounts, employees who are yet to open the bank accounts have been asked to open the same during the current month. DDOs and cashiers of the government departments are also deducting 60 to 70 percent or 50 to 60 percent once in three consecutive months from the salaries of the employees which has become a regular scenario due to extortions by undergrounds in the state, according to the analysis report of the state home department. The Manipur government is also planning to deploy police commandos along the national highways till the completion of the rail-line upto Imphal which is targeted within 2012 or 2015, the source maintained. Outside the state, as per a government analysis reports of undergrounds carrying out extortion activities by summoning officials and businessmen to specific location in the cities like Guwahati, Shillong, Kolkata, Dimapur, Bangalore etc were taken note of. It also said, undergrounds, mainly the NSCN(IM) are collecting illegal taxes at Dimapur from all goods ferrying vehicles, passenger buses and taxis like Tata Sumo etc. from Manipur. Goods brought by train upto Dimapur destined for Manipur were not allowed to be lifted at Dimapur payment of huge extortion money. Observers believe that the state government has been asked to comply with the directives of the union home ministry to tackle such activities