Shillong,Oct 19: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) will hold a rally on November 8 to demand the government to intensify its fight against drug.
HYC held its Central Executive Council (CEC) meeting on Saturday to discuss the measures to be taken in their fight against drugs
The HYC has been carrying out anti-drugs initiative for the last 7-8 months.
Speaking to reporters, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said that this month, the HYC sent a letter to the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma regarding suggestions to control drug abuse but till date no response came from government.
“Therefore, the HYC has decided to hold meetings across the district headquarters, starting from October 25.
“The HYC will hold a public meeting in Shillong on November 8 to force the government to listen to their demands,” he said.
The HYC has put forward 7 issues including the establishment of a rehabilitation centre especially in East Khasi Hills dstrict, and this is in line with the DREAM Mission.
The minister had said that the state has 3 lakh drug addicts, but there are only 10 Rehabilitation Centers which can treat only 300 people , Therefore, the government needs to take action to build health centers to help all those who are in need.
“The second demand is to set up Free Detoxification, OST Centers and Daycare Centres which are currently only a few and do not match the number of drug addicts ,” he said.
Synrem also demanded establishment of Special Courts under the NDPS Act, and this is for the purpose of hearing cases of people arrested under the NDPS Act.
The HYC also asked the government to set up special teams for investigation and prosecution.
“The demand of the organisation is to have personnel who are aware of the provisions of the NDPS Act”, he said.
The council demanded that anyone who has been arrested twice should be punished under PITNDPS.
Another demand is to set up an office of Narcotics Control Bureau in Shillong, as at present the office is only in Guwahati.
Synrem said the organisation will continue to fight against drug traffickers and drug users in the state, despite the allegations that it is illegal because the government does not want to take action.
He wanted to know if the government takes action why the number of drug users and traffickers in the state is increasing.
