By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 29: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has urged the state government to take steps to set up fast-track courts/special courts as envisaged under DREAM Project for speedy trial of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
After a meeting with Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Wednesday, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said there are, currently, no special courts for trial of cases under the NDPS Act and as such, trial lingers on for years together. He said this discourages witnesses and general public to assist the state machinery in the fight against drugs.
“We congratulate the state government on launching the DREAM Mission to combat the drug menace. But we don’t want it to be another document or policy that looks good only on paper,” Synrem said.
He said it was mentioned in the DREAM Project that the state government will set up the fast-track courts.
“But it has been many months since the DREAM Project was launched. Not even a single fast-track court has been created for trial, exclusively for NDPs cases. We have made a demand before the Social Welfare Minister that if you have written in the DREAM mission that special courts will be created, then we want to see action on the field, especially for East Khasi Hills, given the rise of NDPS cases,” Synrem said.
He said the HYC would like to see the trial of these cases to be fast-tracked as the witnesses, particularly Rangbah Shnongs, appear before the courts every month in NDPS cases. He lamented that the trial of such cases goes on for 10-12 years.
“We are told that the first ever meeting of the committee (Advisory Board), to be chaired by the Chief Minister (Conrad K Sangma), will be held on December 5. This issue will be deliberated in the meeting and necessary action will be taken,” Synrem said.
He said they impressed upon the Social Welfare Minister that the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 (PIT-NDPS Act) should be enforced to further strengthen the crackdown against drug traffickers by detaining/booking those accused/traffickers, who were arrested more than once under the stringent provisions of the Act.
“Although, the state government constituted the Advisory Board as mandated by the Act in July this year, it is not known if the Board has recommended any cases of detention under the Act till date,” Synrem said.
He further said they are not sure why the government has not made use of the provision of PIT-NDPS Act to detain habitual traffickers for a maximum period of three years. “We have made the demand before the government. The habitual traffickers, who were arrested more than once in NDPS cases, should be detained so that it acts as a deterrent to them as well as others who want to come into the drug trafficking business,” the HYC president said.
He said the Social Welfare Minister assured that the issue will be taken up in the meeting which the CM will chair.
There are nine names forwarded by the Police department for detention under the Act. These names have been sent to the Advisory Board, constituted by the government, Synrem said. “We have also told the Minister that we are not happy with the nine names. We want all those people, who were arrested more than once in cases relating to drug trafficking, should be detained,” he added.