Paul felicitates 8 ANTF personnel, says Meghalaya to win war against drug menace

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 22, 2025

Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh has expressed confidence that the state will triumph over drug trafficking, drawing parallels with its past success in quelling insurgency just by using its own police force, without calling in the army, unlike other states in the region. 

After felicitating eight personnel of the state’s Anti Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) on Thursday, following the recent seizure of contrabands worth Rs 4 crore in East Jaintia Hills district, Lyngdoh highlighted the state’s progress in combating narcotics, with contraband seizures worth over Rs 400 crore during the past five years.

“(This) shows that we have the professionalism, the capacity and the will power to deal with this problem and ensure that it is wiped out,” he said.

Lyngdoh described the fight against drugs as a matter of “killed or be killed” and said, “We either succumbed to it or we emerge victorious. We either become victims or we turned out to be victors. I am sure that Meghalaya will turn victorious (in this war against drugs).”

Expressing confidence on the police force, Lyngdoh said Meghalaya was one of the few states which had successfully wipe out insurgency through the police department.

“We did not call in the army when other states had to do that. Nagaland has had to do that, Mizoram has had to do that, Punjab has had to do that, the maoist naxalite region has had to do that, Assam has had to do that. Meghalaya was one of the few states that dealt with insurgency using its own police force. How many of us are even aware of that,” he said.

With Meghalaya being one of the youngest states in India, the minister stressed the importance of investing in Meghalaya’s young population – with 65% of the state’s residents below the age of 35 – from repeated constant attempt to lure them into the traps of drugs and other substances of abuse.

Lyngdoh assured that the memorandum submitted by the ANTF would be met with immediate funding from the DREAM project.

The minister explained the DREAM mission’s multidimensional roles, which involve close coordination between various departments, including home police, social welfare, education, health, and law. This coordinated approach aims to tackle the drug menace comprehensively.

Lyngdoh expressed his appreciation for the ANTF’s dedication and bravery in breaking the backbone of the supply chain, which has been a significant challenge due to Meghalaya’s geographical location as a lucrative transit point.

Stating that the ANTF is putting pressure on traffickers, he highlighted that the ANTF has now entered areas that were previously not attended to, such as within the cantonment board, which were thriving grounds for narcotics sales.

The minister assured that the ANTF will continue to step up pressure on drug traffickers to wipe out the drug menace from the state.

“It is so easy to be an armchair critic and offers solution to all the problems that Meghalaya has but to actually be there leading from the front and proving your metal day after day that takes courage, that take conviction and that takes dedication,” Lyngdoh stated while referring to critics against the government’s effort to eradicate drug menace in the state.

On the proposal for purchasing of vehicle scanners, the minister said that the state government has already indicated its requirement and the Ministry of Home Affairs is seized of the matter.