Shillong, October 8: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today announced the state government’s decision to establish detox and de-addiction centers in all district headquarters and to direct the state police to crack down on hotspots of illegal drug peddling, with the goal of rehabilitating even the last user and making Meghalaya entirely drug-free.
This decision was taken during a review meeting of the Drug Reduction, Elimination & Action Mission (DREAM) which was attended by officials from various departments, stakeholders, and faith-based organizations. Addressing media persons, Sangma said the health and social welfare departments have been instructed to set up minimum infrastructure for detox and de-addiction centers in each district headquarters.
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“We are hopeful that in the next three-four months we should be able to set up detoxing as well as de-addiction centres fully functional in all the district headquarters.” Sangma said these centers can be established in government hospitals, private institutions, or NGOs willing to collaborate with the government, adding the meeting discussed the creation of Standard Operating Procedures for running these centers and the role of community participation in the process. He assured that the government will also ensure that the necessary manpower is trained to run these centers effectively.
The chief minister also informed that the police department has been directed to crack down on hotspots and locations where drugs are being sold illegally. Police will intensify regular surprise checks and CCTVs will be installed in these locations to monitor the situation.
“Therefore, the decisions have been made and very regularly surprise checks will be made by the police and this will be in a very strict and aggressive manner and the police has been asked to leave no stone unturned to ensure that this activity starts. Maybe we cannot go to all locations in one go but we will start with the main areas where we feel that there has to be very strong action from the police,” he said.
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“Apart from the fact that the police has been very successful in catching the supply side but the retail part where the sale takes place and where our youth and others are affected because of the sale by certain individuals, we even to go down to that level and we want to ensure now the police act very firmly and the CCTVs will be put up in these locations, manpower will be increased in these locations, surprise checks will be made by police, excise, as well as the community. They will work together to ensure that necessary action is taken in all these places,” Sangma added.
The chief minister emphasized that the government is serious about tackling the drug menace and will take aggressive action against those involved in the sale and distribution of drugs. “I want to send a message to the people at large that the government is very serious on this and you will see very aggressive actions in the coming days and as I said whether it is from the police department, health department, social welfare department or the community, we will all be working together to ensure that we are able to control as well as we are able to act against this entire menace of drugs in our state.”
Sangma said that most district headquarters lack such facilities, which is why the government has decided to establish at least one detox and de-addiction center in each district. The government will also examine the regulation of costing and pricing of these centers to ensure they are accessible to those in need. He further maintained that the government will not stop until the state is completely drug-free and all users are rehabilitated.
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“We have to always look at it from an alarming point of view. It will be incorrect for us to say that it is not because even if there is one drug user, that itself is alarming for me, I would like to see that there is no scope of any drug user in our state. All the necessary support required for rehabilitation and detoxing must be given by us, all possibility of police stopping the supply must be done. So, for us we will not stop till even the last user is rehabilitated and we are completely drug free in the state,” he concluded.
(Newmai News Network)