HYDERABAD: In a bid to address the growing issue of drug abuse in the state, Sandeep Shandilya, director of Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TS-NAB), on Sunday, presented a comprehensive proposal to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Director General of Police Ravi Gupta, and other senior police personnel.
In his presentation, Shandilya underscored the urgency of combating the drug menace by introducing portable drug analyser kits and establishing Anti-Drug Committees (ADCs). He also expressed concerns about the sale of scheduled drugs in medical shops and urged for stricter regulations.
During a prior fifteen-minute interaction with Revanth, Shandilya had exchanged thoughts on the drug menace in the state, during which he had proposed to give a detailed presentation on Sunday. Shandilya underscored the need to elevate the TS-NAB to the level of OCTOPUS and Greyhounds and drew attention to the alarming rise in drug consumption among youngsters. He highlighted that the primary focus would be on educational institutions, the film and IT industry, bars and pubs, rave parties, and resorts.
Speaking to TNIE, Shandilya said, “The proposed drug analyser kits are portable and easily accessible tools that will aid law enforcement agencies in quickly identifying and testing suspicious substances. Telangana will be the first to start implementing this, similar to the practice in the US and many European countries, with some equipment is set to be put into use this Tuesday. Precise research is also in progress, and additional state-of-the-art equipment will be procured.”
“There won’t be any random checks that invade one’s privacy. We have teams in place with credible information to act, and once there is a raid at a rave party or any place where drug consumption is suspected, there is ample evidence. We’ll check empty table tops, door handles, washbasins, empty pockets, wallets, handbags — and all we need to do is collect a swab, saliva, or urine to run the test. These equipment detect drugs in nanogram concentration, with a power of one to the 10th thousand power, and the kits deliver results in one to five minutes,” the TS-NAB director reassured.