The Meghalaya government has approved and notified the draft policy under the Drug Reduction Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM) for ensuring a drug-free Meghalaya even as it has constituted the Advisory Board for implementation of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS), 1988 which seeks to book drug traffickers for a period of three months.
Informing this after chairing a meeting here on Monday, Minister-in-charge of Social Welfare, Paul Lyngdoh said the DREAM project was conceived and announced last year by the state government.
"But today we are happy to announce here that the draft policy has been approved and notified under this DREAM project, which calls for a drug-free Meghalaya," he told reporters.
"Under this mission, a Mission Director and his team will assist the government in coordinating the efforts of various departments which are interlinked to this issue and also a total sanction of Rs 5 crore has been set aside for undertaking publicity campaigns and increasing awareness programmes, these all will come under this mission," he added.
Lyngdoh also informed that an Advisory Board has been constituted for effective implementation of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 (PITNDPS).
According to him, in the absence of the Advisory Board, the state has not been able to invoke the provisions of the PITNDPS, 1988.
“A retired High Court Judge S Pande, who is the chairman of the State Consumers’ Council, has today consented in writing to be the chairman of the Advisory Board. Once the chairman of the Advisory Board agrees to take over the assignment that clears the pathway for us to implement this very important Act.
“Under this Act, persons with known antecedents of being drug traffickers or being indulged in narcotic trade – big, medium or small – can be booked under this Act and they will undergo preventive detention for an initial period of 3 months which can be extended up to a year.
“There have always been complaints that the traffickers managed to obtain bail very easily but once this is invoked these known traffickers will now be booked under this Act to facilitate their being detained under this Act and not be able to secure bail for 3 months,” Lyngdoh added.
He said if the traffickers feel that they have been unjustly detained, they can always appeal to the Advisory Board in writing as to why they should not be detained and why they should not be released.
Further, the minister informed that the meeting also discussed at length the need to strengthen the narcotic cell which today comprises of just 3 police officials and said, “We have decided that this will be increased and once the number of personnel is increased to at least cover all districts then we will be in a better position to contain and control this menace.”
Meanwhile, Lyngdoh said that the state government’s commitment has been renewed and it is going all out in fact on a war footing to try and eliminate the problem of drug trafficking with all the negative effects it is having on society.
“I can assure you that we will go all out and eradicate this problem at the earliest as it is taking a toll on society, it is taking a very heavy toll on the safety and security of citizens and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that we go on a war footing to tackle the menace of drug trafficking,” he added.
Stating that the drug menace is alarming across the state, the minister said five districts in the state have been identified as ‘hotspots’ where the incidents of drug abuse has gone sky high while adding that the number of drug users have also gone up from the last figures that were collected in 2019.
Lyngdoh said, “We will now compile fresh statistics as it is not only a question of updating the figures but in certain cases because of the same person going to different rehabilitation centres for treatment and sometimes using different names that there is also the problem of getting the statistic correct. So now what we have decided is that under the DREAM project, all deaddiction centres will use a single platform online and offline so that we have the figures correct, the identity of the persons treated which will remain anonymous but the correct figures will be available with the government.”
Also stating that the NDPS Act has certain loopholes, the minister said, “I had reiterated the need for us to have rules framed by the state government because certain sections of the Act for instant section 64 (a) give space to whoever is using drugs to escape the net of the law.”
Meanwhile, the government will also set up its own deaddiction centres in three districts, which will be identified very soon.
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