To curb drug menace, govt to install scanners at strategic entry points in Ri-Bhoi, EJH districts
SHILLONG, April 10: In a bid to intensify the crackdown on narcotics smuggling in Meghalaya, Director General of Police (DGP) Idashisha Nongrang is in regular contact with the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate the installation of vehicle-scanning machines at strategic entry points in Ri-Bhoi and East Jaintia Hills districts.
Informing this, Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh said, “In fact, this is a proposal from the Union Home Ministry. They have expressed concern about North East India becoming an epicentre of narcotics, and based on these inputs, they have offered to provide us with vehicle scanners. The DGP is on the job, and the scanners will be provided by the Ministry.”
While acknowledging that the process may take some time, Lyngdoh stated that the government has already procured nine trained dogs to assist the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) in detecting drugs.
These dogs, according to Lyngdoh, will soon complete their training and will be deployed in identified hotspots.
“As outlined in the DREAM mission, we have clearly demarcated and identified the districts and localities]. This information has already been shared in the public domain,” he added.
In December last year, the state government formed a dedicated ANTF team comprising 40 personnel exclusively assigned to combat the drug menace.
The government also revived efforts to strengthen Village Defence Parties (VDPs), enhancing provisions such as uniforms, torches and increasing financial incentives from Rs 800 to Rs 3,000 per volunteer per month.
Additionally, the state has shifted its legal approach from the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to the more stringent PITNDPS Act, which includes provisions for the preventive detention of repeat offenders.