SHILLONG, MAY 23: Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday informed that the state level meeting of the Drug Reduction Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM) will be held next week.
Speaking to Mediapersons, Lyngdoh informed that the meeting will be convened on Tuesday next and it will be attended by the Director General of Police (DGP) and senior officials of the home police department and social welfare department.
“We have identified certain gaps and missing links between the activities of the social welfare and the home police department. These various concerns of the department will be highlighted at the meeting scheduled for 2 pm on Tuesday next week,” he said.
Aiming at Drug free Meghalaya, Drug Reduction, Elimination, and Action Mission (DREAM) project was started by the state Government as he said the state Government have identified certain gaps and missing links between the activities of the social welfare and the home police department.
Asked, the minister said, “The meeting scheduled for Tuesday next is very important because we will first try to have a point of synergy and consensus with home police department. Now a new DGP has just taken over. A new mission director of the DREAM project has already been identified and she will take over once the MCC period is over.”
“Therefore, there will be a new approach hands-on towards the problem of drug menace. We will tackle it with all the firmness that is required and after the session on Tuesday with the home police department, where we expect that it will culminate into a synergy of approach, we will then involve all the MLAs across the state and call them on a district wise basis,” he added.
He also informed that the government had already identified the drug hotspots across the state.
“In fact, these include names of villages in various districts of Meghalaya and the hotspots are spread across the state,” he added.
According to the DREAM project report the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has identified vulnerable districts in the state namely: East Khasi Hills, West Jaintia Hills, West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, East Jaintia Hills, and West Khasi Hills Infact, localities and villages in East Khasi Hills identified as hotspots include Madanriting, Jhalupara, Laitumkhrah, Nongthymmai, Polo area, Nongmysong, Mawlai area, Mawprem, Lumdengjri, Harijan colony (Mawlonghat), Mawngap, Mawrynkneng and Pynarsula.