Itanagar: Expressing concern over wide-scale opium cultivation in Lohit district, the district administration has appealed to the civil society and government staff to shoulder the responsibility to fight the menace.
Speaking in a coordi-nation meeting in district headquarters, Tezu on Tuesday, attended by department heads, deputy commissioner Dr B M Mishra devised a plan to involve NGOs, government employees, PRI members, medical officers, village heads, public leaders, teachers and students to generate public awareness through meetings on social impacts and health hazards of opium in the district, official sources said here on Wednesday.
“Educating the public about the laws that trade or cultivation of opium is a cognizable and non-bailable offence can help prevent its cultivation to a great extent,” he hoped.
On the growing menace of drug abuse and illegal drug trade, the DC asked the forest department to inform any illegal cultivation of opium in reserved forest land.
“The Forest department will have to be attentive and provide information of cultivation in deep forests. If the officer in-charge of a particular area fails to inform or report of any illicit cultivation in that particular area, action will be taken against the cultivator and responsibility shall be fixed on official as per law,” he said.
The DC also expressed his dismay on reports of involvement of some section of government employees who are engaged in opium cultivation/trade, peddling and use of drugs in various forms. If proven, such employees will be punished under certain sections of law, he said.
Use of Radio as an awareness tool by broadcasting useful information regarding drugs and substance abuse was highly recommended by the officials.
Inclusion of de-addiction chapters or de-addiction week in schools and colleges was also brought by the members during the meeting.
Earlier, two mobile enforcement teams were constituted in the meeting which will comprise a magistrate, an agriculture department official, village head/PRI member, excise official and police personnel to deal with drug peddlers and illicit opium cultivation.
A vertical chain of teams will function at circle and village level in various capacities- monitoring, awareness, de-addiction and enforcement of NDPS Acts in the district. The teams will also be responsible for destruction of illegal cultivation if any in their area of jurisdiction, sources added. (UNI)
