Call it the tangible first step taken in the right direction or the start of a meaningful exercise to fight the menace of drugs and its various perilous offshoots, a proposal is underway for establishment of an Anti Narcotics Task Force in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘Excelsior’ has been regularly voicing concern over the menace of drugs and Narcotics substances spreading its tentacles precariously widely across Jammu and Kashmir and about a deficiency in the apparatus to deal with its various aspects and factors. If the new proposal of an exclusive body to be set up for dealing with the scourge is approved quickly and the Task Force shaped, trained, provided with the latest tools of professional investigations, raids, seizures, building solid and fool proof cases , prosecution and finally conviction and the like , a perceptible change on the ground would be felt by all particularly by the demons -in- trade of this lethal commodity .
It is all the more in the fitness of things if we derive and assimilate necessary inputs and experience from our neighbouring states like Punjab , Haryana etc and shape the proposed Force on that pattern , it would add into the existing talent the UT of Jammu and Kashmir has but presently, is neither organised not mobilised and scattered for attending to routine duties . These states have achieved notable levels of accomplishment of set aims through such arrangements as the one under reference. As we believe in to be better late than never, such proposal should have been put into practice long back but even if it is implemented in the right earnest now, quite encouraging results shall start taking place . It is quite prosaic, if not utterly surprising that full provisions of the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA) are not implanted and enforced in totality in the UT because of an inapt and unorganised mechanism .
The Anti Narcotics Task Force would concentrate wholly on how to fight this menace professionally and effectively. It is noteworthy that neither additional financial structure is needed nor any special infrastructure is required for raising of this Task Force and even if it would have led to incurring some additional funds too, looking to the cause thereof, it is worthwhile to be accorded top priority despite that . In fact, looking to the affliction spreading fast and trapping gullible youth who once trapped never easily come out spoiling their health, career and families , the Force should also have jobs assigned towards preventive and counselling areas too like educating, spreading awareness , advising and counselling, strengthening cooperation and liaison with different agencies to encompass the mechanism to defeat and abort every move of drug peddlers.
The foremost task which the Task Force , once duly established, has to focus on is widening , strengthening and incentivising intelligence net work because the organisation of the Drugs network is so strong that very often it manages to outsmart the vigil and watch of the Police and the resultant flourishing of this trade. The second aspect is the personnel chosen from amongst the existing Police Force who, besides being of high integrity and with dedicative credentials , must be exclusively assigned the specified duties to deal with the Drugs and Narcotics menace and not deputed for routine duties. That obviously would dilute and even fizzle out the effectiveness of stages of various factors like investigations , preparing prosecution papers and documents extremely important in dealing with a particular case or cases.
It is further encouraging to know that one of the Advisors to the Lieutenant Governor having served as Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau has endorsed the proposal and his expertise, exposure and experience could be useful in further shaping the said Force efficiently to handle Drugs related cases. The proposal currently being “under examination” in the Police Headquarters is likely to be forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor after the DG Police approves it. Let us hope things would move swiftly, at least in this area, which is critically sensitive.
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