Media cooperation sought in combating illegal business

Media cooperation sought in combating illegal business

Special Correspondent

Silchar: Barak Valley has emerged for a long time as a transit route of all sorts of clandestine and illegal business. Its strategic location on highways linking Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Dima Hasao district and international border with Bangladesh makes it an easy and safe passage for the smugglers as well as criminals. There have been several instances when the highly trained smugglers dodging the check gates and security dragnet could make their way for destinations across the northeast and beyond. Along with contraband goods, arms and ammunitions have also been smuggled in from Myanmar and taken to prospective buyers at different locations.

In fact, the illicit and clandestine business has many a manifestation. Cows are often taken away from the weekly markets and smuggled out to Bangladesh by organized gangs of criminals. As the district special branch (Intelligence Wing) of Cachar is crippled by shortage of manpower and the resultant network to keep watch and track on the criminals, smugglers and other anti national elements, Jikirani Mahanta, APS, Deputy Superintendent of Police, at a get-together with the mediapersons here sought their help and cooperation in furnishing necessary information about their movement and operation so that her department can crack on them and thwart their ill intentioned business.

DSP Mahanta candidly expressed the handicaps suffered by her department, so essential in maintaining law and order by having exchange of views with the administration, civil and police. It is for the first time that any police officer heading the intelligence wing has been in interaction with the mediapersons. She is aware how this valley despite all the vigilance and surveillance has provided leeway to the smugglers to operate. Often, the criminals with contraband goods like heroin and drugs as well as banned cough syrups as well as intoxicating tablets have successfully come out of Myanmar and taken them to their destined places. She was more frank to say how the department is missing out many links and sources to take the offenders in the dragnet. Journalists who have wider reaches and accesses can report about illegal business and smugglers. It is her plea with the media friends to lend their helping hands in order to deal effectively with the law breakers. DSP Mahanta said agitation, road blocks and other sorts of movements create lot of hurdles in the way of her personnel to gather necessary information.

Jikirani Mahanta who joined the department quite recently is well aware of the serious traffic problem of this town. She put the blame on the narrow roads and the burgeoning population as well as the lack of civic sense among the citizens. Illegal parking of vehicles at random, over speed, overtaking as well as driving without helmet are the common features on the roads. Without the cooperation of the citizens in general and the vehicle owners and drivers, the traffic police can hardly be expected to improve the situation. Jikirani Mahanta passed her Mass Communication degree from Tezpur University and did her ACS to qualify for the post of DSP.

Also Read: Cachar News

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