VPP legislator Ardent M. Basaiawmoit has suggested stringent measures such as longer jail terms for drug traffickers and peddlers in order to curb the drug menace in Meghalaya.
Taking part in the debate on the Governor’s address in the Assembly today, Basaiawmoit commended the efforts by police to eradicate the drug menace “in order to save our youth from this dangerous addiction”.
“However, I would like to suggest that stringent measures should be taken against drug traffickers and peddlers. In the past we have seen how drug traffickers and peddlers who have been arrested by police got bail and then went back to their business of drug trafficking. This cycle has to be stopped. Drug traffickers and peddlers should be made to face the law. They should stay behind bars for a long period under the Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act or other stringent laws. They should pay dearly for their crime. I want the government to give assurance and commitment on this,” he said.
Basaiawmoit also urged the State government to set up its own rehabilitation centres for drug addicts.
“The cost of treating and rehabilitating drug addicts in private rehab centres is very high. We have seen how parents found it hard to afford the money needed for rehabilitating their children who have fallen into this deadly trap. The government should take this suggestion very seriously and take it as a part of the war on drugs,” he said.
Lamenting over the slow pace in the promotion of renewable energy like solar and wind energy in the State, Basaiawmoit said that the agency that is responsible for renewable energy has done little or nothing on this.
“Many people have complained that the cost of solar panels is so expensive that they are discouraged from switching over to solar energy. Our State also has plenty of potential for wind energy but this aspect too has not been given serious thought and action by the government,” he said.
The VPP MLA also mentioned about the pathetic conditions of many roads in the State. Citing the instance of the Shillong – Sohra road for which an amount of Rs 12 crore has been sanctioned for repair, he said that the repair work has been poorly done.
“Tourists and commuters have complained that they faced a harrowing experience travelling to Sohra because of the deplorable condition of the road,” he added.
Basaiawmoit also said that Home Guards volunteers engaged for maintenance of law and order, traffic duties and emergency situations have not been paid regularly and there were occasions in the past when they had to agitate to get their dues.
While urging the government to start implementing the Journalist Pension Scheme for journalists of the State, he also pressed for regular payment of advertisement bills to media houses by the government.
