Stop supply of illegal drugs from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan: Parl panel to govt

New Delhi: Being aware of the fact that India has become a major market for illegal drugs business, a Parliamentary Committee has asked the Central government to strengthen the checking at the ports, airports and borders with the latest technology, drones and CCTVs so that trafficking of drugs from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan is completely stopped.

The Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment said that there is a need to have a platform for various stakeholders to discuss issues at periodic intervals relating to drug trafficking, reduction in substance abuse, production, trafficking of drugs, and rehabilitation of drug addicts. “The menace of drug addiction is spreading fast among adults, young adults and even children in India. It is estimated that around 37 crore persons consume alcohol and various psychotropic substances in India. The problem has started affecting the young generation, in particular,” the committee chaired by Lok Sabha MP Rama Devi said.

Sandwiched between some of the largest drug-producing countries, the drug menace in India is to be curtailed both on the demand side and supply side, the committee said in its 51 reports tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Committee find that various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, apart from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment have been tasked to handle various issues to prevent the demand and supply of drugs and ensure health and rehabilitation of drug addicts in the country.

Representatives from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) informed the committee members that the most frequented route being exploited by African traffickers originates from African countries Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda via middle eastern countries Dubai /Sharjah to India. The NCB said that heroin and cocaine are the most trafficked drugs by these traffickers. “These are mostly concealed in the check-in and hand baggage of the passengers or are swallowed in capsule form,” the committee was informed.

Nepalese and Myanmarese traffickers traffic ganja, hashish and opium to India through porous borders in physical possession. Whereas Iranian and Pakistani traffickers found themselves involved in the maritime trafficking of drugs through sea routes, they said. Referring to a survey conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) AIIMS, the committee said that about 16 crore of the Indian population between 10 and 75 years (14.6 per cent) of age uses alcohol.

“At a national level, there is as many as 19 per cent of the current users of alcohol who consume liquor in a dependent pattern. The 20 lakhs juveniles below the age of 17 consume cannabis and about 2.26 crore individuals (2.1 per cent of the country’s population) use opioids, which include opium (or variants like poppy husk, heroin, smack or brown sugar and various pharmaceutical opioids),” the committee said in its report.