Better coordination among law enforcement agencies, border states needed to tackle drug menace: Om Birla

By Nishant Ketu
Gangtok (Sikkim) [India], February 24 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday once again urged for collective efforts and strong coordination between law enforcement agencies and border states to tackle the problem of drug abuse.
He expressed this view during an interaction with ANI on the occasion of the Annual Zone III Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region conference today.
"Drug abuse is a national problem. It is a borderless crime, which makes the problem exceptionally challenging. Referring to the extensive international borders of the North Eastern states and the hilly terrain. Due to these factors, there is a high risk of drug trafficking in the region," said the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Birla said that there is an urgent need for coordination not only among all the drug law enforcement and intelligence agencies but also among all border districts and states of the region to tackle the drug menace.
The Government of India and Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah himself assured that drug trafficking cannot be tolerated at any level and agencies are very much capable to deal with this. Also, all borders are fully secured and all agencies are very attentive to counter this.
Birla urged public representatives at all levels to cooperate and coordinate and convey anti-drug messages to every community and emphasized on making the campaign a mass movement.
Lok Sabha Speaker also raised the issue of cyber-bullying and praised the Assam government's U-Report, an interactive digital tool for online safety, and called for similar initiatives to be implemented in other states.
He further added that the youth are being provided opportunities to enhance their potential through "Advancing North East" which will provide necessary knowledge and guidance to the youth of the North East region regarding education, employment and entrepreneurship.
"The gathering to undertake reforms and change policies and laws in time so as to strengthen the legal system to meet emerging challenges," he said.
He emphasized that if need be, stringent laws will be enacted to deal with this problem.
The manner in which drugs consumption has increased in the northeast and several other states is a matter of concern. This was discussed in CPA Zone III. Since a large area in northeast is a border region it is to be seen how drug smuggling be stopped and not consumed by youth, the LS Speaker said.
The 19th Annual Zone III Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region concluded in Gangtok, Sikkim today.
The two-day Annual Zone III conference of CPA India was held on February 23 and 24.
The two-day Conference deliberated on many issues ranging from making parliament and assembly more accessible to the public.