Assam CM launches state-wide drugs disposal campaign at Doulashal

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched the State-level Drugs Disposal Campaign at the 14th Assam Police Battalion campus at Doulashal in Nalbari district. The Chief Minister inaugurated a secure drug disposal machine installed at the battalion campus with the assistance of the Central Government. He also formally commenced the disposal process by operating a road roller over seized narcotic substances. Similar drug disposal programmes are being carried out simultaneously across all districts of the State. Under the initiative, narcotic substances worth Rs 472.51 crore seized by Assam Police, including heroin, ganja, cough syrup, tablets and capsules, opium, morphine and cocaine, will be disposed of.

Chief Minister Dr Sarma said that over the past five years, the State Government has been seizing narcotic substances worth several hundred crore rupees every year, while courts have convicted and sentenced many persons involved in drug trafficking. He said that the Government has been periodically disposing of seized narcotic substances in public to send a strong message to drug traffickers.

The Chief Minister stated that it would take around ten days to dispose of narcotic substances worth Rs 472.51 crore. He said that the Central Government had provided a specialised machine for the safe disposal of narcotic substances and that it was being used for the first time at Doulashal.

He informed that the disposal campaign would cover 58.88 kg of heroin, nearly 38,000 kg of ganja, around 2.29 lakh bottles of cough syrup, 39 kg of morphine, approximately 18.71 lakh methamphetamine and Yaba tablets, nearly 4.97 lakh tablets and capsules, besides several other narcotic substances.

Dr Sarma said that during the last five years, 3,300 cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while Assam Police has so far seized narcotic substances worth Rs 3,227 crore. The Chief Minister said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been making sustained efforts to strengthen inter-State coordination in the fight against drugs, leading to significant improvement in cooperation among States in recent years.

Finance Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, Barkhetri MLA Narayan Deka, Director General of Police Harmeet Singh and several senior officers of Assam Police were present on the occasion.