Shillong: Meghalaya Trinamoon Congress leader Mukul Sangma raised questions about the status of drugs seized by the police and actions taken regarding the confiscated items in the state.
He asked the questions at the assembly on Tuesday and expressed concern that the police had not been adequately informing the public about the results of these seizures.
Sangma also highlighted the need to expedite the charge sheeting of NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) related cases and said that the police were arresting petty peddlers without taking adequate action against the major players in the drug trade.
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In response to Sangma’s queries, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is in charge of the home (police) department, stated that the issue of drugs in Meghalaya is a national and international problem, not just a state-level one.
Tynsong informed the Assembly that the state government had recently established an advisory board under the PITNDPS (Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act to deal with people who have been arrested for drug trafficking and proliferation in the state.
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Tynsong clarified that the advisory board is functional and plays a crucial role in handling people who have been arrested by the police for drug-related offences.
He added that criminals arrested in drug-related cases cannot be easily released, as the board can recommend up to two years of imprisonment.