CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: As Meghalaya fights against drugs at war footing, the State Government has secured a crucial sanction from the Ministry of Home Affairs for the deployment of an advanced scanner vehicle equipped with cutting-edge technology to detect narcotics at the Ratacherra sector, one of the most sensitive entry points into the state. The move marks a significant escalation in Meghalaya’s anti-drug offensive, with the scanner vehicle expected to be installed by March, making it the first of its kind in the state and a major technological leap in intercepting drug trafficking routes.
Adviser to the Social Welfare Department Paul Lyngdoh said the initiative reflects the government’s uncompromising resolve to prevent narcotics from entering Meghalaya, particularly through vulnerable border corridors. “Vehicles entering Meghalaya will now undergo high-tech scanning to curb drug trafficking,” Lyngdoh said, stressing that technology-backed enforcement is now central to the state’s strategy.
Elaborating on the development, Lyngdoh said, “We have just received sanction for a scanner vehicle that will be placed at the entry point to Meghalaya from Ratacherra sector through expeditiously scanned vehicles to ensure that Narcotics do not enter the state. We are very focused.” He clarified that while the sanction has been cleared, the process of procurement and installation will take some time. “It should take another two to three months, Ministry of Home Affairs has just cleared the sanction, so there are issues of procurement and making sure that the vehicle is ready to be installed. Within this financial year the vehicle should be installed, sanctioned have come,” he said.
Highlighting why Ratacherra was prioritised, Lyngdoh pointed out that the sector remains the most vulnerable gateway for drug inflow into Meghalaya. “As of now we have obtained one which will be placed at Ratarechera sector since is the most vulnerable point because the entry point of these narcotics is basically from Myanmar region, the golden triangle and that being the most vulnerable area,” he said, underlining the international trafficking networks feeding the drug menace in the region.
In a parallel boost to enforcement capabilities, Lyngdoh said the state has also strengthened its on-ground response by inducting trained sniffer dogs for the first time. “For the first time we have been able to get trained dog squad k9 squad nine dogs have just completed their training and these becomes handi in effort to wipe out the drug menance in the state of Meghalaya,” he said.
With the deployment of high-tech scanning infrastructure and the induction of a trained K9 squad, Meghalaya’s anti-drug campaign has entered a more aggressive and decisive phase, signalling that the state is determined to seal its borders and dismantle narcotics networks with all available force.
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