12th UT Level NCORD Meet - Strict enforcement of laws, proper treatment, mass awareness key to tackle drug menace: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo

SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today emphasised strict enforcement of relevant laws, proper rehabilitation of victims and massive awareness generation to effectively tackle the drug menace in the Union Territory.  The Chief Secretary, while chairing the 12th UT Level NCORD Committee meeting, advocated the significance of collective approach in combatting this challenge.

Present in the meeting were DG, Police, Principal Secretary, Home, ACS, Jal Shakti Department, Principal Secretary, School Education Department, ADGP Crime, ADGP, Headquarters, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir/Jammu, ADGP, Jammu, IGP Kashmir, Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare, Commissioner Secretary, Forests, Secretary, Health, Secretary, RDD, Secretary, Law, Zonal Director, NCB, Deputy Commissioners, District SSPs, representatives from BSF, ED, SIA and other senior civil and police officers while outstation officers participated online.

Dulloo emphasised the need for making collective efforts by the civil administration and Police department to eradicate this evil from the society. He maintained that strict action against the drug dealers would act as an effective deterrent for the people involved with this illicit practice. He called upon the investigation and prosecution agencies to prepare strong cases against such unscrupulous elements. He observed that sometimes tardy investigations and weak prosecutions lead to early acquittals of the arrested persons. He exhorted upon the police department to enhance the capacity of both Investigation Officers and Public Prosecutors so that the cases framed against the culprits succeed in making convictions in the court of law.

 The Chief Secretary also enjoined upon the department to be strict against the police officers found defaulting on framing strong cases against the drug dealers. He also made out that the government employees found involved in NDPS cases should be taken to task as per the laws in vogue. He enquired from each SSP about the bails/acquittals challenged in higher judicial forums. He said that al lbails/acquittals orders passed should be assailed in higher courts.

He remarked that the motive of each investigation should be to turn the case into successful conviction by following the requisite SoPs throughout the case proceedings right from seizure. He also quoted several Supreme Court directions passed to secure the nation from falling prey to this threat. He said that the burden of proof in NDPS cases lies on the accused so here police should use the enforcement laws much effectively to rid this region from the affliction affecting us badly. He also directed for audit of each case resulting into acquittals so that responsibility of any loophole found in the case is fixed properly.

Dulloo underscored the need for having IPD facilities of drug de-addiction in all the district hospitals in future and OPD facilities in most of our health facilities. He also asked the Health Department to provide best of the counselling and treatment to the victims both through online and offline mode. He also urged the concerned Departments to collaborate with the School Education and Higher Education Departments to create awareness among the students there.

He called upon the Police Department to hold panchayat level events where videos and other IEC material should be displayed and distributed to create mass awareness. He called for framing calendars in each district along with designating nodal officers to accomplish the tasks with reports sent to SSPs inthe district. DG, Police, Nalin Prabhat, explained that there is huge paradigm shift in taking up of investigations under NDPS and PITNDPS Acts. He revealed that actions against these persons have increased manifold with focussed attention of the Department towards curbing this illicit trade.

He further gave out that the attachment of properties together with other strict measures being taken by police force are showing its impact on ground. He observed that although there is always scope for improvement but the Department has done a yoeman’s job on this front. Principal Secretary, Home, Chandraker Bharti, while speaking in the meeting, suggested the police department to make full use of national portals like NIDAAN to trace the forward and backward links of the case. He recalled that PITNDPS has been very effective in dealing with this illegal practice after devising its SoPs by the Department.

He further apprised that timely appeals against bail orders would be a good measure to dissuade the traders. He also emphasised upon attachment of properties of these drug dealers besides making red entries in revenue records simultaneously against such immovable properties. Regarding performance of the Department against drug menace, a presentation was made by IG, Crime, Sunil Kumar. He revealed that illegal assets worth Rs 12.04 crore were attached in 2024, with properties worth Rs 50 crore currently under attachment process. About the action taken against drug kingpins, it was given out that 274 drug kingpins were booked under PIT NDPS in 2024, compared to 270 in 2023 and 195 in 2022.

Regarding disciplinary actions against employees involved in NDPS cases, the meeting was apprised that15 civil employees (out of 143 cases), 69 police personnel (out of 175) and 9 army personnel disembodied (out of 19 cases) for their involvement in NDPS cases.  As far as public awareness is concerned, it was divulged that 25,546 awareness programs were conducted in schools, colleges and communities to sensitise the public about the detrimental effects of drug abuse.

Moreover about the initiation of departmental enquiries for carrying out faulty investigation, it was informed that 241 disciplinary actions were taken against investigating officers for faulty investigations. It was said that 2,737 officers were trained by ANTF in districts to improve conviction rates which resulted into improving conviction rates from 23% in 2022 to 51% in 2023 and further jumping o 54% in 2024.