Meghalaya stakeholders urged to fight drug menace together

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP) of the state, Idashisha Nongrang, said that she, being a woman herself, will use that perspective to ensure that they feel much safer and improve the accessibility of the police.

“There is a lot of room for improvement for accessibility of the police to the public,” Nongrang told reporters on Monday. Asked whether despite all efforts there is an increase in the crime against women, the DGP said that the force will look into the issues which are causing them.

She said that in some districts of the like there has been an improvement in the crime rate against women. Nongrang said at one point of time East Jaintia Hills and later West Khasi Hills was the hot spots.

“When we had focused on West Khasi Hills a special team was constituted just to look into crime against women especially POCSO cases it did show a lot of improvement but somehow, the momentum we have lost and we need to have a relook and there’s some things we could do better,” the DGP said. When asked about the drug menace in the state she said that it was disturbing especially in Shillong which used to be a transit point but now it has become a consuming point. “Despite the seizures we have made we have not been able to make a dent into the actual supply system,” she added.

She pointed out that in a number of cases the police have not been able to take the actions needed to take and faltered in a number of instances in court and the cases have not been held up and so the deterrence factor is not there. Nongrang called upon all stakeholders to work together in the fight against the drug menace. The DGP pointed out that all talk about this menace but do not do much about it.

On the cases of illegal coal mining and its transportation, she pointed out that there are numerous instructions from the government, there is the National Green Tribunal and the Justice Katakey commission gives reports from time to time and there are court orders on the matter.

“The police have been trying to control it but it is also a question of, for a large number of people it is a question of livelihood. So (it’s a question of) how best we balance the livelihood issue and the illegal part,” Nongrang added.

 Also Read: Meghalaya unit of BJP for Nongrang as next Director General of Police (sentinelassam.com)

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