War against drugs requires a united front: CM Sangma

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: In a rare show of regional political convergence, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has thrown his weight behind Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s call for a united front in the war on drugs, as both leaders rally their states to confront the escalating narcotics crisis gripping the Northeast. With the drug trade tightening its grip on vulnerable populations and exploiting porous borders, Sangma called Sarma’s recent proposal “absolutely correct”, asserting that the battle must be fought as a coordinated, cross-border campaign. “We all need to work together because it’s a region, it’s a complete route, and there are Intel’s and information that are connected in different states that need to be coordinated,” Sangma said, adding, “It will happen in a much more qualitative way in the future… The state governments are working very closely and sharing the intel and taking the actions necessary at their level.”In an interaction with media persons, the Meghalaya Chief Minister underscored the urgency for coordinated regional efforts in the fight against drugs, calling Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent suggestion “absolutely correct.”The Chief Minister was addressing the media following the postponement of a scheduled review meeting under Meghalaya’s flagship anti-narcotics programme, DREAM (Drug Reduction Elimination and Action Mission).Citing the absence of key ministers, Sangma explained, “We were supposed to have a meeting on the dream project. We had organised a meeting because we regularly meet for DREAM. DREAM is, as you know, a programme that the government has come out with in terms of the fight against drugs. So, this was as per a regular meeting scheduled, but unfortunately, two or three of the ministers concerned are not there. And therefore, when they came, I told them that we will just postpone it for a week or so and we’ll have the meeting when all of us are here.”When asked whether drug-related cases in Meghalaya have increased or decreased, the Chief Minister provided a nuanced response. “It depends on how you define cases, whether it’s defining in terms of the number of people who have been caught supplying drugs or selling drugs or in terms of the drug users,” he said. However, he stressed that significant progress has been made through a multi-layered, all-government approach.

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