BENGALURU: At a time when there is a nationwide crackdown on supply and use of contraband drugs and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is caught in a controversy over allegations of extortion in the drugs-in-cruise case, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to appoint a zonal director to NCB, Chennai.
The post has been lying vacant since March 1 this year after the then director was repatriated to his parent cadre of Central Armed Police Force after the completion of his tenure. The Chennai zone has a vast jurisdiction, covering coastal states -- Tamil Nadu and Kerala and Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. Being coastal regions, they are extremely susceptible to drug trafficking through sea besides the air route. In the absence of a zonal director at Chennai, NCB, the Zonal Director, Bengaluru is holding charge of the Chennai zone.
Large area comes under NCB B’luru chief
In addition to the Chennai zone, the Zonal Director, Bengaluru has to handle Bengaluru unit’s expansive jurisdiction that covers Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In effect, one officer is now looking after drug operations in the entire South India.
The trijunction covering Telangana, AP and Odisha is a heavily infested Maoist area in which ganja is grown and shipped out illegally. “Ganja cultivation is promoted by Maoists. The farmers and transporters pay huge amounts of protection money to the outlaws to grow and sell the contraband drug. It is a challenge for law enforcement agencies to monitor this region because of the terrain and presence of armed guerrilla extremists,” said informed sources.
In March this year, the Indian Coast Guard had intercepted three Sri Lankan boats off the Lakshadweep region and seized 300 kg of high-grade heroin and five AK-47 rifles with 1,000 live rounds, from one of the boats. The estimated value of the contraband was Rs 3,000 crore. Kerala too has been reporting an increased number of contraband drug cases.