Shillong, Aug 20: The Meghalaya Government has intensified its crackdown on narcotics, with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) reporting major seizures and arrests in recent weeks.
Last week alone, drugs worth over ₹4 crore were seized, and several peddlers were taken into custody. To motivate the force, the government will hand over cash incentives and certificates to ANTF personnel who successfully tracked and nabbed the culprits.
Clarifying doubts over the fate of major drug dealers, the government said that since August 2024, detention orders under Section 31 of the PITNDPS Act have been cleared against five notorious repeat offenders, including Pynhoi Nongtdu of Thadlaskein, Hubert Lamphrang Dkhar of Mawiong Nongstoin, Marwel Nongbah of Lumpariat Jowai, and Rintu G. Saikia alias Pahadi. Their detention may be extended if they resume illegal activities. Authorities have also frozen the bank accounts of these dealers and their immediate families, warning that anyone providing shelter to offenders will be prosecuted.
On another front, the state government is planning to form a Territorial Army for Meghalaya, with details to be placed before the Cabinet on August 26. Officials said the force would serve as a supplementary security measure alongside the VDPs (Village Defence Parties). The move comes after the BSF advertised 300 posts for ST candidates of Meghalaya.
In Shillong, the government has also set November as the target for completing the relocation of hawkers from Laitumkhrah–Civil Hospital area up to Motphran. The exercise will then be extended to other sites, incorporating lessons from past relocations.
Meanwhile, the Centre has cleared major tourism investments for Meghalaya. The Union DoNER Ministry has approved a ₹220 crore project at Sohra, with the Union Minister likely to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival to lay the foundation stone. The plan includes an experiential tourism project offering visitors a taste of rural village life.
In addition, a heritage resort is being proposed at the Lawsohtun Sericulture Farm, established in 1925 by the British. The project will integrate the state’s textile complex with tourism initiatives within the next two years.
On the cultural front, the Arts and Culture Department has approved a film project on the life and times of freedom fighter U Tirot Sing, with filmmaker Pradip Kurbah tasked with preparing the script.
