PREVALENCE OF DRUG USERS HIGH IN NE REGION
Nagaland’s commercial capital– Dimapur has emerged as a major transit point for drug trafficking from Manipur and Myanmar.
This was revealed by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Guwahati Zonal Unit intelligence officer Lunkholal at a programme in connection with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at Excise conference hall here on Monday on the theme “Addressing drug challenges in health and humanitarian crisis”.
In his presentation on the “Emerging scenario and challenges in the combat against drug trafficking in NE region: An enforcement perspective”, Lunkholal cited a Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment report, to highlight the magnitude of substance abuse in India published in 2019. In the report, Nagaland was shown to have 7% cannabis users and 6.5% opioid users. He claimed that cannabis from Manipur was trafficked along Kohima-Dimapur to other States of India through the rail route.
On drug abuse in North Eastern states, he said the region figured among the top 10 States in India in terms of percentage of population affected, with Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland among States with highest prevalence of sedative use and that Manipur and Nagaland included among the 10 top States with highest number of people injecting drugs.
It was also mentioned that as per the report, states with more than 10% prevalence of opioid users included Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.
He also informed about drug trafficking trends in the Northeast, modus operandi, routes and overall drug scenario in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya Mizoram and Nagaland. This also included State-wise drug routes, emerging trends and challenges in drug traffick-ing, besides highlighting some of the measures initiated by the Central government.
Lunkholal spoke of practical difficulties towards effective enforcement of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. He said these included lack of coordination among different enforcement agencies in the Northeast, lack of sharing intelligence among the Central and State agencies, inadequate knowledge and low level of sensitisation about proper enforcement of the Act, emerging laws, sympathy with drug traffickers, etc.
He also strongly advocated the dismantling of drug trafficking networks in the region by ramping up the capacities and capabilities of Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs)and improving coordination among Central and State agencies.
The emphasis for tackling the menace was to set up a well-coordinated inter-State intelligence network within the region to tackle drug trafficking into the region from “Golden Triangle”, improving investigation skills to conduct follow-up probes to identify the sources/buyers, concert-ed efforts by the political establishment, surveillance and enforcement at important points and land borders, preventive and interdiction efforts along the known drug routes and means through which drugs were smuggled etc.
In his speech Kevekha Kevin Zehol, secretary excise department expressed concern over the rising incidence of drug abuse and trafficking which was attributed to Nagaland sharing a porous international border with Myanmar.
Kevin lauded the department for having done exceptionally well in containing offences under Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989 and also exhorted the personnel to be sim-ilarly proactive in curbing crimes under the NDPS Act.
Zehol revealed that the state excise department had received Rs 6.14 lakh (2005) and Rs13.05 lakh in 2008 and sought more support from NCB.
He proposed a joint effort among the excise department, police and paramilitary forces like Assam Rifles and CRPF to weed out the menace of drug abuse and trafficking. He also appreciated efforts of NGOs in tackling drug. He also called upon the church to sensitise the young generation on the issue and not to ignore them but interact as they were future of society.
A pledge to fight against the menace of drug abuse was also taken at the programme, which was led by commissioner of excise and prohibition H Atokhe Aye, while “My journey, our collective journey” was shared by Prodigals Home, Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IR-CA), Dimapur Sunep Jamir.
The programme was chaired by deputy commissioner of excise Katoho Sumi, invocation offered by Potter’s Reed ministry director Senti Jamir while special song was presented by IRCA, Dimapur Prodigals Home.