By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 20: The Meghalaya government has confirmed that children are being used to sell drugs in some areas of Shillong.
Adviser to the Social Welfare Department, Paul Lyngdoh, on Thursday, said after a meeting with top officials of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) that there are worrying reports about children being used to sell drugs in Mawlai.
He underlined the importance of coordination among the Meghalaya Police, ANTF, and local communities to deal with the menace of drugs in the state. He also noted the inadequate number of Village Defence Parties in Shillong.
The state capital, with a population of almost 6 lakh, has only 12 VDPs.
Confirming that Mawlai is in the list of hotspots of drugs in the state, Lyngdoh said every district has fallen prey to the narcotics menace. “Shillong and East Jaintia Hills are the worst affected,” he said.
He apprised the ANTF officials of fresh inputs on certain groups of peddlers pushing drugs and other narcotic substances in some areas of the city.
Refusing to divulge the names of these areas, Lyngdoh said that he has asked the state police and ANTF to work in tandem in view of the gravity of the situation. He added that the ANTF is now covering more areas than in the past.
“There are many commercial areas, and the stretch leading to Motphran is highly susceptible to the drug menace. We have sought action from the ANTF in this stretch,” he said.
Pointing to West Shillong, his constituency, Lyngdoh said drug trafficking was rampant in certain areas adjoining the Cantonment. “We have sought the support of the Cantonment authorities and constituted a VDP in the area,” he said.
