E-Paper
Drugs from Pakistan a big challenge, will overcome it: J&K DGP
Heroin being smuggled from across the border has been taking a heavy toll on the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, especially in border areas.
The director general of police (DGP), RR Swain, on Thursday impressed upon a two-pronged strategy to check narco-trade, which he said has emerged as a major challenge in Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to media queries after inaugurating a drug de-addiction and rehab centre here, Swain said police and other security forces need to “dig the tunnel from both ends” to deal with the drug-trade effectively.
Heroin being smuggled from across the border has been taking a heavy toll on youth of Jammu and Kashmir, especially in border areas.
“Drug trade is emerging as a major challenge in J&K. It has to be addressed in a proper manner. For that, we need to dig the tunnel from both ends,” said Swain.
“Earlier, drugs were confined to charas (cannabis) that was a domestic challenge and had limited consequences but then it went to hard drugs, heroin and brown sugar, being smuggled from across the border. Since we are on western border, the entire challenge of heroin and brown sugar comes from Pakistan,” he added.
The DGP said that police and other law enforcing agencies needed to “dig the tunnel from both ends.”
“The challenge has to be addressed with two-pronged strategy-- one is demand and the other is supply. While police taking coercive action arresting drug dealers and peddlers under law and attach their properties, side by side we have to take action on demand,” he said.
The DGP said that the police would take stern action like they did with the help of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in smashing the terror eco system in the region.
“Same strategy is needed in dealing with narcotics. While the addict is a victim for us, we will be mutatis mutandis in dealing with the narco-trade. We will be successful,” he said.
The way we dealt with the terror-eco system by acting against those providing shelter, transporting terrorists and giving them other logistical support, similar strategy is being applied for those involved in narcotics trade, he said.
He said that there are 10 drug de-addiction centres of police operating at present and some private players also involved in it.
These centers are less compared to the number of addicts, he said.
