Leh-Manali route being increasingly used to bring in drugs
*Task Force to be constituted, agencies asked for coordination
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 29: As the menace of narcotics is taking the local population particularly the youngsters into its grip tightly with every passing year, the Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh has chalked out multi-pronged strategy to prevent the situation from slipping out of the hands. Moreover, all the intelligence agencies and concerned departments have been explicitly told to work in coordination to plug the smuggling routes.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the strategy was chalked out in the first meeting of the State Level Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) Committee, which has been constituted as per the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs for improving support and coordination mechanism under the Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau for focused resolution of policy and operational issues.
The meeting was chaired by Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Ladakh and attended by Administrative Secretaries of five key departments, Additional Director General of Police, Ladakh, Additional Director General of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Ludhiana Zonal Unit and DDG Northern Region of Narcotics Control Bureau.
It was observed in the meeting that during the past few years the Leh-Manali route is being increasingly used to bring in different types of narcotics into the Union Territory of Ladakh although similar efforts are also being made by the drug cartel from the Sonamarg-Kargil route, sources informed.
The intelligence agencies disclosed in the meeting that earlier people of Ladakh particularly Leh district used to discourage consumption of narcotics even by the foreign tourists but with the increase in the tourism activities they have started facilitating them and due to easy availability of drugs even the local population is also becoming addict at a rapid pace.
Disclosing that drug cartel prefer to take the help of bikers for bringing in narcotics from the Leh-Manali route, sources said that after threadbare discussion it was decided that from now onwards all the intelligence agencies including the Ladakh Police will promptly share information about the smuggling and availability of drugs with each other so as to tighten the noose around those who are hell bent to spread the menace further.
“They have further been asked to make all out efforts to plug the loopholes in the existing security mechanism particularly on Leh-Manali route as curtailing of supply will go a long way in checking the menace”, sources informed, adding “Ladakh Police has been asked to immediately constitute Task Force in both the districts and launch full-scale war against those indulging into this illegal trade”.
As at present there is no drug de-addiction centre in the Union Territory of Ladakh, it was decided in the meeting that one such centre will be established in Leh and Kargil and required assistance in this regard will also be sought from the Union Ministry of Social Justice, which is running an exclusive scheme in this regard.
Disclosing that even students are falling prey to the drug menace by using different things which contain sedatives, sources said that Nodal Officers have been appointed for visiting the educational institutions to generate awareness among the students about the ill-effects of narcotics and sedatives as if they are not prevented at this stage the consumption of drugs will increase considerably in the coming years.
“Moreover, social channels are also being roped in for generating awareness as it has been observed that generally people prefer not to share information about drug-addicts within their families to the official agencies and due to this cases get unnoticed”, sources further said, adding “if the cases of drug addicts get undetected the extent of the problem cannot be gauged by the administration”.
They further said, “though the problem is more in Leh district as compared to Kargil yet it has been decided to get a proper assessment of the situation conducted by involving all the official agencies so that future course of action could be chalked out”, adding “as there is no local production of narcotics in the Union Territory of Ladakh the problem can be checked only by way of generating awareness and plugging the routes being used to bring narcotics”.
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