BJP MLA from South Shillong Constituency, Sanbor Shullai, emphasized on Friday the need for stringent checks on all vehicles, including VVIP vehicles, to combat the rising drug menace in Meghalaya. Shullai suggested that even the vehicles of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and his own should not be exempt from checking.
Pointing out that military and police personnel have also been implicated in drug trafficking, he stated, “We should not leave those who use sirens; they should also be stopped and checked. We will deploy sincere police forces to ensure thorough inspections. Even if it’s Sanbor Shullai, stop the vehicle and check. VIP means the Chief Minister’s vehicle should also get checked, as well as Ministers’ and MLAs’ vehicles. Checking is checking; it should not be partial.”
“Even these military personnel, they were caught involved in drugs trafficking; even our police also, there are a few cases where they were caught red-handed with drugs,” Shullai stated.
Shullai proposed sealing all entry and exit points of the state for a year to control the flow of drugs. “Install the check gates, seal all the exit and entry points, like Byrnihat, coming from Silchar through Jaintia Hills, and from Ri Bhoi district. We know, as per sources, that drugs are being supplied through Assam; it comes from Burma, Manipur, and Myanmar. Until and unless we seal all these entry and exit gates, we cannot curb this menace. We have suggested that all vehicles entering the state should be checked,” he said.
He advocated “community patrolling” at night to address the increasing instances of drug abuse and theft in the constituency. He called on women’s organizations to take a leading role in raising awareness about the dangers of drugs and spoke about the need for rehabilitation centers.
“Discussed how to intensify patrolling in the respective localities. So we have called upon all the residents of the respective localities through the Durbar Shnong, Seng Kynthei, Seng Samla, to cooperate with the police department and all concerned authorities to conduct checks and create awareness within the locality. I reminded the meeting today that when I was MDC, about 15 or 16 years ago, there were frequent car thefts happening everywhere. The Durbar Shnong at that time conducted community night patrolling. We registered volunteers, called everyone—both male and female, boys and girls—to register their names. Then we divided them batch-wise. For instance, tonight, 15 of them will patrol along with the police. This initiative was very effective and eradicated theft cases,” Shullai recalled.
He urged all local bodies, including Durbar Shnong, Seng Samla, and Seng Kynthei, to organize similar community night patrols in their localities.
At a meeting involving Rongbah Shnong, Durbar Shnong, women’s organizations, police, and the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Shullai encouraged residents to install CCTV cameras in their homes. Superintendent of Police (ANTF) Jagpal Singh Dhanoa addressed the legal aspects of NDPS cases. Shullai also announced that joint surprise raids would be conducted in localities to combat the drug problem.