Notwithstanding the ceasefire agreement between the Union of India and the NSCN (I-M) and the proscribed organisations’ repeated assurances to solve the vexed Naga issue amicably, extortion by the NSCN(I-M) is continuing unabated in every district of Nagaland as taxes for the Republic of Nagalim. Along with the NSCN(I-M), the Khaplang faction of the banned outfit also collecting tax from government employees as well as the trading community.While 25 per cent of the gross salary has been fixed by the I-M faction, the Khaplang group has fixed 20 per cent as its share from each of the government employees and the business community. The people are obeying the diktats as any protest against the militants would mean losing life.

 Interestingly, for the fear of guns, no one is ready to come up against the militants. For example, employees of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO), who are manning the Doyang Hydro Electric Project, a 75 mega watt unit sponsored by the NEC, denied paying taxes to the NSCN (I-M) publicly, everyone knows in that area that a hefty amount is being paid to the militants by the authorities in order to buy peace.  As they pay taxes, the NEEPCO employees at Doyang face no threat from the militants and could move freely even at night.  Moreover, in case of any local trouble, the NSCN (I-M) comes forward to sort out the crisis on behalf of NEEPCO.

 While the NEEPCO employees are lucky enough to evade the wrath of the militants, 180-odd employees of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) stationed at the Doyang HEP, are not so lucky. As the underground organisations do not collect taxes from uniformed persons, the CISF personnel are frequently attacked. They had to perform their normal duties without any arms. For in 1994 after an encounter, where 11 persons, including 10 CISF personnel, were killed and nine SLRs looted by the NSCN (I-M), the authorities decided to withdraw the arms from the CISF personnel.
      
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