Guwahati, Apr 8 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday warned state police officers engaging lower ranks for personal work would have to shell out the latter's salaries as the government would discontinue their pay soon.

Talking to the media, the Chief Minister said that there are allegations that some police officers engaged personnel from various armed battalions for personal and domestic work.

"I have asked the Commandants of the armed battalions and Superintendent of Police of various districts to give detailed reports and information within 10 days if there are such personnel. If such practice continued, police officers concerned would have to pay the salary of these police personnel and the government would not pay it," said Sarma, who also holds the home portfolio.

The police personnel are recruited for maintaining law and order and government duties, he stressed.

The Assam cabinet had earlier decided that a Personal Security Officer (PSO) for important personalities would be deployed based on the basis of the core security review and for those holding the constitutional posts.

"There were 4,000 PSOs in Assam, already we have reduced them to 700. We have come up with guidelines as to how much PSOs there would be for ministers, MLAs and the Leader of Opposition," said Sarma, who has himself reduced his number of PSOs by half.

Before the decision,Assam spent Rs 400 crore for the salaries and allowances of the PSOs.