SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya has asked the Director General of Police to constitute a special task force of dedicated officers to check drug abuse.
Hearing a PIL in this regard on Tuesday, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice H.S. Thangkhiew, said the task force will periodically carry out surprise inspection of various locations which include parks, school gates and guest house gates so as to check if there is any movement of drug traffickers to take necessary action under law.
The court wanted the task force committee to move occasionally in civil clothes.
“Only then, they will be in a position to see what is happening at the ground level. The direction is in view of unfortunate incidents of drug abuse and roaming of certain boys and beggars under the influence of drugs”, the court said.
The task force committee has been asked to make public their contact numbers ‘so that any citizen noticing any boy or girl or any person of any age indulging in drugs or are supporting the use of drugs will inform the concerned task force committee on their contact numbers or they can create a helpline which will be accessible 24/7 to anyone”.
The court said it has to be a collective effort of all responsible citizens to help in eradicating the menace of drugs.
“Social impact shall be of great help in motivating the person of every age to shun the path of use, misuse, abuse and sale of narcotic drugs”, the order said.
The court also asked the Social Welfare Department to initiate a programme by holding special awareness camps once a week in different parts of the state with special focus at the first instance in Shillong.
“While doing so, they shall involve for help all responsible citizens of concerned localities. Contents of the awareness programme must be impressive so as to have an impact on all concerned”, the court said.
The matter will come up for hearing after 10 days.
The state government had formulated an action plan for drug demand reduction/ supply reduction of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and if the same is implemented in its real spirit then definitely ground position would change, the court said.
However, the court added that the fact of the matter is that ground realities are somewhat different.
At the national level, a National Action Plan for drug demand reduction has been formulated and Meghalaya has prepared a draft State Action Plan.
The Amicus Curiae, after his first visit to various drug addiction and opioid substitution treatment (OST) centres, filed an affidavit, which revealed that situation is day by day deteriorating.
“Drug abuse and drug trafficking is totally on the rise, taking in to its sweep even small children”, the court said.
A. Paul, Advocate also apprised the court that on Monday in a parking lot, she found a young girl carrying a child on her back begging and there were some young boys moving under the influence of drugs which means there is no one to check such cases.
