In Shillong, almost every locality including entire West Shillong Constituency, Happy Valley, and Nongthymmai, would be considered a hotspot: Social Welfare minister
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, May 23: In a concerning revelation, drug hotspots are present in almost every locality of Shillong and several other districts, the state government said on Thursday on the basis of its report. In view of this, the government is working towards developing a point of synergy among various departments and elected representatives to devise a new approach to effectively counter the problem of drugs in the state.
“We have identified the hotspots and presented the report in the Assembly. In fact, these include names of villages in various district, and the hotspots are spread across the state, except for a few districts,” said Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh.
Asked to name a few hotspots in Shillong, he said, “In Shillong, almost every locality including the entire West Shillong Constituency, Happy Valley, and Nongthymmai, would be considered a hotspot. The report is available and provides all the details.”
He informed that a meeting with the Home (Police) department is scheduled for next Tuesday. He stated, “First, we will try to establish a point of synergy and consensus with the Home (Police) department now that the new DGP has taken over. The new Mission Director of the DREAM project has already been identified and will take over once the model code of conduct (MCC) period is over.”
He mentioned that during the meeting, certain identified gaps and missing links between the activities of the Social Welfare department and the Home (Police) department, along with various concerns of the departments, will be highlighted.
Emphasising that there will be a new hands-on approach towards addressing the problem of drug menace, he said, “We will tackle it with all the firmness required. After the session on Tuesday with the Home (Police) department, where we expect to achieve synergy in our approach, we will involve all the MLAs across the state and call them, probably on a district-wise basis.”
When told that the financial cost of treating a drug addict is exorbitant and asked whether that aspect will be considered by the government in terms of providing financial aid, he said, “We will examine various aspects. In the current financial year, we have a balance of roughly Rs 4.5 crore, which we will spend on various initiatives and programmes to curtail and eradicate the drug menace in Meghalaya.”
“The point raised here will also be one issue that will be discussed in Tuesday’s meeting, and we will also try to identify reputed NGOs, civil society organisations, and SHGs, requesting their support to come forward, and we will incentivise them with certain funds to help the government in its endeavour.”
Stating that the government wants the project DREAM to be a community-oriented programme as has happened in the case of Mawlai Town Dorbar, the Social Welfare Minister said, “Whoever has been under their care, there was not a single rupee charged from any of the beneficiaries for the entire period of their stay until they were certified to have completed the entire orientation and counselling programme. It was totally free of cost, supported by the government.”
On the other hand, Lyngdoh held a meeting with the representatives of the various Dorbar Shnongs under the Shillong West constituency, which is one of the regions severely affected by drug menace.
“The meeting was convened in order to elicit opinions from the Dorbar Shnongs of West Shillong on the various issues confronting the constituency, including matters relating to development and concerns regarding the drug menace,” Lyngdoh said, while briefing media persons.
He said, “So far as developmental activities are concerned, issues raised about water, power supply, LPG connection and distribution, roads, and traffic. We also discussed the situation that has now become very rampant, which is drug users and traffickers in the constituency.”
The meeting, held in the presence of government officials, saw various concerns being raised and addressed. “We have also agreed to conduct an on-spot inspection of the various sites within the constituency for the demarcation of traffic junctions and to earmark parking lots within the constituency,” he added.
He further said that a new initiative will be taken to coordinate better with the local Dorbar.