Agartala, April 1 Asserting his government’s campaign of ‘war on drugs’ and has a zero-tolerance policy against drugs menaces, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said that the state police have registered 52 cases and 70 people were convicted in the last three years under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985.
Replying to a reference period notice of Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy, the Chief Minister said various drugs were illegally traded in Tripura after being smuggled from Myanmar.
Saha, who holds both Health and Family Welfare and Home Departments, said that the police and the other law enforcement agencies have been directed to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against the illegal drugs trade and various other drug menaces.
He said that various types of drugs, including methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba, Phensedyl cough syrup, and heroin, are coming into Tripura from Myanmar via Mizoram and Assam, while ganja is going out of the state.
Though Ganja (marijuana) is illegally cultivated in the state and not consumed in the state, and smuggled to other states, including Bihar, from Tripura, the Chief Minister said.
"A total of 1.54 lakh kg of ganja has been seized in 2022-23 and 2023-24. In the same period, 5.82 lakh banned cough syrup bottles have been confiscated and 25.62 lakh methamphetamine tablets have been seized," he said.
He said that 19 people were convicted in 13 cases registered under the NDPS Act in 2022, while 20 people were convicted in 16 cases in 2023, and 26 people were convicted in 2024.
The Chief Minister informed the Assembly that as of January 2025, a total of 5,520 injecting drug users have received treatment from Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centers.
Of these, 612 have completed treatment and returned to the mainstream of healthy, normal lives.
He stated that from April 2024 to January 2025, the Tripura AIDS Control Society, involving educational institutions, NGOs, clubs and many other organisations, has conducted various activities to increase awareness and to combat HIV/AIDS in the state.
--IANS
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