CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: A high-level meeting chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home (Police), and attended by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Special Monitor and former BSF Director General Rakesh Asthana, marked a significant step in Meghalaya’s fight against drug trafficking. Also present was the Minister in charge of Social Welfare, Paul Lyngdoh, who highlighted key concerns, ongoing initiatives, and urgent appeals presented to the visiting official.
“We just had a very important meeting led by the Deputy Chief Minister (Home-Police), in the presence of the NHRC’s Special Monitor, Rakesh Asthana, who is also a former Director General of the BSF and had headed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). He is on a three-day visit to Meghalaya to assess the drug trafficking situation in the state,” said Lyngdoh.
He further stated, “We briefed the NHRC Special Monitor on the various initiatives undertaken by the state government. I’m happy to share that he was very appreciative of our efforts. He specifically lauded the Dream Project, which is a community-based initiative involving educational institutions and faith-based organisations.”
Lyngdoh underlined Meghalaya’s strategic vulnerability as it lies within a major drug trafficking corridor. “One of the key issues discussed was Meghalaya’s proximity to the Golden Triangle in Myanmar, a major global drug supply zone. Unlike states like Punjab, where the supply is often local, in our case, drugs come in from outside the state, which poses a serious threat,” he said.
He added that more exhaustive discussions on the matter will take place tomorrow. “Today’s meeting laid the groundwork, but a more detailed discussion will be held tomorrow.”
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Home Police Department, including the Director General of Police, officers from the Social Welfare Department, Additional Chief Secretary, representatives from the Law Department, and officials involved with the Dream Mission.
One of the key proposals put forward was the establishment of a dedicated NCB sub-zonal office in Shillong. “We urged the NHRC to intervene and push for the creation of an NCB sub-zonal office in Shillong, which would significantly strengthen enforcement in the region,” Lyngdoh stated.
He also raised the issue of a pending Central government-funded proposal for the procurement of vehicle scanners. “We informed the visiting NHRC official about our proposal for acquiring vehicle scanners funded by the Government of India. Although the proposal has already been submitted to the Union Ministry, there has been an undue delay in its approval,” he said.
The state has initially requested two such scanners, and Lyngdoh confirmed that the NHRC’s Special Monitor assured his intervention. These scanners are intended for use at two key entry points in the Ri Bhoi district, with the DGP tasked with following up on the matter.
On the legal front, Lyngdoh stressed the need to strengthen provisions under the PIT-NDPS Act. “We also discussed the PIT-NDPS Act, which includes provisions for preventive detention. We proposed that the detention period be extended to three years. Currently, four individuals are already under preventive detention, and twelve more cases are under active consideration.”
The follow-up discussions scheduled for July 8 are expected to result in concrete steps toward strengthening Meghalaya’s anti-narcotics efforts.
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