HT Digital
AIZAWL, Feb 20: Mizoram Governor General Vijay Kumar Singh has raised serious concerns regarding the growing menace of drug abuse and trafficking in the state.
While addressing the first sitting of the budget session of the state assembly on Wednesday, he stated that the drug problem has reached alarming levels, making it a top priority for the government.
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“State’s excise and narcotics department, along with other law enforcement agencies, has been making concerted efforts to curb the crisis,” he added.
The Governor stressed the importance of keeping a strict watch on drug-related crimes and ensuring peace along Mizoram’s inter-state borders.
He also highlighted the need for vigilance along the state’s international borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh to prevent anti-national activities.
“The threat of drug peddling and abuse has reached alarming levels today and is of great concern to my government,” Singh remarked during his first address in the state legislature.
Despite the growing drug issue, Singh assured that Mizoram maintained a peaceful law and order situation in the previous year. He credited this stability to the proactive approach and relentless efforts of the state police.
The Mizoram Police have been actively working to prevent tensions at inter-state borders while coordinating with border security agencies such as the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF) to conduct international border patrols and safeguard the state from external threats.
Mizoram shares a 325-kilometer inter-state border with Assam, Tripura, and Manipur, and an international border spanning 510 kilometers with Myanmar in the east and
318 kilometers with Bangladesh in the west. Governor Singh revealed that during the ongoing financial year, authorities had arrested and prosecuted 600 drug runners while registering 441 drug-related cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985.
Additionally, law enforcement officials seized a total of 429.116 kilograms of various drugs, and 37 foreign nationals were apprehended for narcotics-related offenses.
Furthermore, the Governor addressed the enforcement of the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Act, 2019, which bans the sale, production, and consumption of liquor in the state. Under this law, 4,364 individuals were arrested, and 4,862 cases were filed against violators.
Authorities have pointed out a notable rise in drug trafficking, particularly heroin smuggling from Myanmar into Mizoram. This surge has been attributed to the political instability in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup, which has disrupted border security.
The ongoing crisis in Manipur has further exacerbated the situation, as drug smugglers exploit Mizoram as a transit route to transport narcotics into other parts of India. With the increasing threat of drug abuse and trafficking, the state government remains committed to strengthening law enforcement and implementing stringent measures to tackle this pressing issue.
