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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched a state-level drug disposal programme in Nalbari district, where narcotics and psychotropic substances worth Rs 472.51 crore are being destroyed, while asserting that the state will further intensify its fight against drug trafficking through stronger intelligence gathering and inter-state coordination.
The programme was held at the 14th Assam Police Battalion, Daulasal, where the Chief Minister also participated in the destruction process by driving a road roller over the seized substances. Addressing the event, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that various narcotics, including morphine, heroin, ganja, cough syrup, tablets and other psychotropic substances, worth Rs 472.51 crore will be destroyed during the disposal drive. "39.068 kg Morphine worth Rs 39.07 crore, 58.88 kg heroin worth Rs 117.75 crore, 37796.34 kg of ganja worth Rs 188.98 crore, 229449 bottles of cough syrup worth Rs 22.94 crore, 496712 numbers of tablets/ capsules worth Rs 19.86 crore, 1870922 numbers of Yaba tablets including Methamphetamine worth Rs 74.84 crore, 79.77 kg of opium worth Rs 3.98 crore and other drugs will be destroyed," CM Sarma said. The Chief Minister said the disposal drive will continue for the next 10 days with the help of a drug disposal machine provided by the Union government. "This disposal process will be continued for the next 10 days. The Union government has given a drug disposal machine. Today we have gathered here to destroy drugs worth Rs 472.51 crore. We will have to be burning these drugs for the next 10 days to destroy it completely. In the past 5 years, we have registered 3300 NDPS cases and seized drugs worth Rs 3227 crore. Today we have started this drug disposal programme at the state level," CM Sarma said. He further stressed the need to strengthen intelligence networks and improve coordination among states to tackle drug trafficking. "We will have to improve our intelligence and to take strong to stronger action to fight against drugs. We will have to work more on forward to backward linkages. The Union Minister is working on inter-state coordination and our cooperation has been improving. We will do more work against drugs in the next 5 years. If the state governments of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, and West Bengal continue our work against drugs, then we will be able to stop the drugs transportation, crack it and catch the drugs smugglers kingpin also. For the first time, the opposition has agreed, supported us and suggested that the government to take strict action against drug smugglers and traffickers. If the opposition had supported five years back then today's scenario might be more improved. I appeal to the people of Assam to support the Assam Government and the Assam Police," he said. The Assam Chief Minister further said that Assam has now become a transit route for the transportation of drugs to the mainland, as the narcotics are coming from Myanmar through North Eastern states to the mainland. "In past 5 years, we have seized drugs worth Rs 3227 crore, but it is just 20 percent of total drugs. Now drugs consumption in Assam has been decreasing," he added. (ANI)
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