SHILLONG, Oct 17: Facing a stiff battle against drugs and substance abuse, the state government has blamed the ethnic strife in Manipur for Meghalaya’s burgeoning drug problem.
Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday said the unrest in Manipur shifted the drug trade to Meghalaya, posing a major challenge for the authorities concerned.
“We are bent upon eradicating the drug menace. Unfortunately, our strategic location very close to the Golden Triangle and the shift of the trade to Meghalaya due to the unrest in Manipur has become a major challenge,” he said.
“I will visit the national capital soon and make sure that the central leaders are well briefed about the seriousness and the scale of drug trafficking happening in the state,” he said, adding that the Social Welfare Department has taken up the anti-narcotics campaign for the first time.
Asked if the DGP and the law-enforcing agencies have been kept on alert, he said: “They are aware, which is why the Anti-Narcotics Task Force is being strengthened. We will have a retired IPS officer as the Mission Director. We are making several moves to ensure that we can reduce and eradicate the problem.”
Lyngdoh said many things may not be visible to the naked eye but many people are in the process of constituting the Village Defence Party (VDP).
He said Meghalaya has 11 legally constituted VDPs but none in the high-risk zones. Without any backup of the law, people in these zones are getting frustrated by having to appear in court, he added.
Lyngdoh pointed out that such issues will be addressed when the VDPs are in place as they are within the legal framework and work with the police.
Asked about pressure groups such as the Hynniewtrep Youth Council tackling the drug menace in the city and police issuing summons, he said, “You should ask the president of the HYC, who has a legal background. You should ask him what he knows about the NDPS and whether the law of the land allows him to catch people…”
He indicated the HYC leaders are trying to grab the headlines by seizing and burning drugs, which are illegal activities. “What they do will not stand the scrutiny of the court and is, therefore, self-defeating,” he said.
Lyngdoh said the Department of Social Welfare has become proactive about the anti-narcotics campaign.
“Earlier, only the police were involved. Now, we have a mission headed by the Chief Minister. It shows our seriousness in doing things not on the wrong side of the law,” he said.
Meanwhile, the KHADC has decided to incorporate provisions of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Administration of Elaka) Amendment Act, 2023, recently cleared by the Governor, to fight against the growing menace of drugs.
Following his meeting with the Rangbah Shnongs of Shillong city on the subject of drugs, KHADC Deputy CEM PN Syiem said as per the Act, vigilance committees would be set up in all localities to assist the police in curbing the problem of drugs.
He said Act now recognises the Seng Kynthei and Seng Samla who could be roped in to play an active role in eradicating drugs from the society.
He proposed the idea of setting up entry/exit points in every locality with the support of the law enforcing agencies to keep a tab on entry of drugs in the locality.
Syiem also welcomed the government move to strengthen the village defence parties to assist the local machinery. “It is a good thing as more organisations in a locality would be able to come together in the fight against drugs,” he added.
