IMPHAL: Apart from tackling insurgents in Manipur, security forces in the northeastern state are dealing with the problem of drugs.
Acknowledging the situation, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said over 600 drug peddlers are arrested in the state each year. "The situation, however, is better now as the people's involvement is more. Also, after coming to power, I set up fast-track courts to break the peddlers' backs," he said.
One of the worst affected areas is Lilong. The All Lilong Anti-Drug Association (ALADA) claims that drugs are smuggled into India through Myanmar.
"Drugs like Heroin number 4 and World's Yours come into Indian territory through Myanmar," the tribe secretary of ALADA Abid Hussain said.
Lilong is the Muslim majority area of Manipur with a population of about 3 lakh of which 80-90 per cent of the people belong to the minority community.
Hussain said the security forces stationed in the state have been instrumental in solving the drug problem.
"We have around 2,000 identified users and the forces help us seize the drugs and apprehend the users. They take them to police stations and also help in their rehabilitation," he said.
The ALADA tribe secretary expected more help from the government for the successful tackling of the drug problem.
"Though security forces are doing their best, the government has provided us with only one rehabilitation centre. If we are given a few more rehabilitation centres, the drug problem could be solved more easily," he said, adding that most of the people who shift their focus to being insurgents are drug addicts.