Meghalaya HC asks state to act on drug kingpins

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 25, 2022

The Meghalaya High Court on Friday has asked the state government to file an affidavit on the comprehensive course of action to address the menace of drug abuse in the state.  

While hearing a PIL, the division bench headed by the Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee said, “Let the matter appear three weeks hence for a comprehensive course of action to be mapped out by the State and the rudiments thereof indicated to the Court by way of an affidavit.”

The PIL was filed by the former chairperson of the Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) M Kharkongor.

Amicus Curiae SP Mahanta has informed that the drug menace in the state has reached an alarming level and unless immediate steps are taken, a generation or more may be lost to addiction.

Mahanta also referred to the plight of young girls in and around Shillong and the everyday discovery of signs of drug use from all over the place, including around the golf course.

The bench said that there has to be a serious attempt by the state government to control the entry of drugs and to keep a vigil over the spread thereof.

“The Court is not equipped to advise the state on how to go about the matter; but, surely, a much greater endeavour on the part of the state is called for,” it said.

Mahanta also reports of rampant drug use in Laban and other areas.

The bench said, “Whether it is by simultaneously organising awareness drives and taking exemplary measures against those peddling drugs on the streets, the state machinery has to act against the obvious kingpins and not concentrate only on the mules.”

“The State has to use the machinery to ascertain the source of drugs and the routes that the peddlers take so that ameliorative steps taken now can save the State the cost of undertaking a massive repair work upon the affliction becoming more widespread,”it asserted.

Referring to its previous order of December 10, 2021, the bench said it is also imperative that there should be a well-equipped de-addiction centre, or several centres, to particularly cater to younger girls who may be driven towards destitution upon being addicted to drugs.

It said that it is hoped that both the Departments of Health and Social Welfare would do their best to address the menace in an effective manner.

The bench said in a matter of the present kind, the Court may not issue specific directions and the entire object of the exercise is to make the State aware that the menace requires immediate and urgent attention.

“Let the matter appear three weeks hence for a comprehensive course of action to be mapped out by the State and the rudiments thereof indicated to the Court by way of an affidavit,” it said.

The next hearing is scheduled to be held on March 23.