The state government will actively work with dorbar shnongs as part of its Drug Reduction, Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM), Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh said today.
The minister had previously held a meeting with religious groups, which had also pledged to work with the government in this cause. Today, traditional headmen and other stakeholders met with Lyngdoh to chart a way forward.
“Today we’re going to the level of the dorbar shnongs, starting with West Shillong, which contains a large number of hotspots for drug trafficking and also many of the areas have been repeatedly complaining about the presence of these traffickers of illicit drugs,” Lyngdoh said. West Shillong happens to be his own constituency.
The minister said that valuable inputs were received, including on problems being faced by the dorbars while reporting offences or while trying to assist the police in detaining offenders.
The major decisions that were taken today included on how the government can get the dorbars on board and engage with them in a sustainable manner. “That is already part of the DREAM mission statement, which speaks about community engagement,” Lyngdoh said.
Another decision that was taken was that the state level committee will be headed by the Chief Minister. Lyngdoh will reach out to the CM on this so that the committee can meet immediately.
It was also decided that these interactions will be frequent and all issues will come under the ambit of the department as well as the police. One of these issues includes the need for witnesses to turn up in court to give evidence in drugs-related cases several times over several years, which is greatly time consuming and off-putting,
The government is working in tandem with stakeholders to come up with a slew of amendments and rules to be framed under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. These rules will be framed in a manner that will facilitate community participation in the fight against drugs, Lyngdoh said.
The police have identified seven districts that are hotspots of drug users. The force informed Lyngdoh today that East Khasi Hills, the most cosmopolitan and most populated district, is the worst affected.
