Anjaw calls for collective efforts against opium mece

From Our Correspondent

Itagar, Feb 9: The Anjaw district administration has emphasised on collective and sustained efforts of all the stakeholders for eradication of opium mece from the district. Taking part in a meeting held at Hawai on Wednesday to chalk out a road map for drafting a policy to tackle opium mece from the state, all the participants from various departments, representatives of various NGOs and ZPMs of Anjaw districts have unimously resolved and recommended that collective efforts need to be taken with family support of opium affected people to overcome the situation, an official communiqué informed.

Opium being intrinsic to ritualistic usage, an overnight eradication is not possible, and as such steady and sustained efforts by all stakeholders should be done, they observed.

The members also stressed on a wide network of tiol and state level performing NGOs and establishment of an anti rcotic unit to be manned by trained personnel to fight against the mece at the earliest. Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Mamata Riba, who presided over the meeting, put emphasis on the importance of distinguishing and understanding the problems associated with opium addiction vis a vis opium cultivation. “Opium cultivation being an integral part of ritualistic usage in Anjaw district and consequent increase in opium addiction being associated with rituals, the societal threat associated with the same, need to be recognised and positive changes which wean users must be accelerated,” she added.

State Nodal Officer (rcotic cell) Oli Koyu, while lauding the DC for her development activities, spoke on the specific areas like altertive livelihood, identification of value based herbs and Rehab Skill Development. He informed that as per records only 32 percent rehabilitation was successful with relapse data at 62 percent, the communiqué added.