Drugs, ganja cultivation creating parallel economy in Tripura: CM Saha

Expressing concern, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday said that drugs smuggled from Myanmar to his state through neighbouring Assam and cultivation of ganja (marijuana) are creating a parallel economy in the northeastern state.

Speaking on the second day of the ongoing Winter Session of the Tripura Assembly, the Chief Minister told the House that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed to adopt zero tolerance policy against drug peddling and any kind of drug menace.

He said that during the past three years, 1,665 cases were registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 and 2697 drug peddlers were arrested for their involvement in illegal activities.

Saha, who also holds the Home and Health and Family Welfare portfolios, said that during the last three years, drugs, including destruction of huge numbers of ganja (marijuana) plantations valued at Rs 1,587.47 crore were seized by the law-enforcing agencies, including the Tripura Police.

With the menace of various drugs, the number of HIV/AIDS affected people rose to 10,126 in 2023 from 7,707 people in 2021.

"Since 2015, at least 512 people have died after becoming affected by HIV/AIDS,” the Chief Minister informed the assembly.

He said besides taking numerous steps against the drug menace and spread of HIV/AIDS, the state government’s ten departments, including Home, Education, Health and Family Welfare, Sports and Youth Affairs, have jointly undertaken various awareness campaigns across the state.

Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chowdhury, Congress legislators Sudip Roy Barman and Gopal Roy alleged that during the BJP government regime, drug-related activities including smuggling and illegal trade have increased to a large extent, ruining the future of the younger generations.

The LoP and other opposition MLAs urged the state government to take stringent urgent steps to prevent the fast-growing drug menaces.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths conducted coordinated search operations across multiple locations in Tripura on Friday (January 10) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeting inter-state drug cartels involved in the trafficking of narcotic substances, including ganja and phensedyl.

A Tripura government official had said that during Friday’s search operation in three Tripura districts -- West Tripura, South Tripura and Sepahijala, the ED sleuths identified seven persons, including Dhruba Majumdar, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Tripura Police, in the drug peddling racket.

Majumdar is currently posted at the Crime Branch section under the office of the Superintendent of Police, South Tripura district and a resident at Baikhora.

The source said the Tripura Police was contemplating suitable legal and administrative action against Majumdar.

The ED sleuths as part of their investigation also summoned some Tripura Gramin Bank officials and questioned them early on Friday.

Though Tripura has become the most important producer of ganja and a corridor for synthetic drugs, including highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, this is the first time in Tripura that such major raids were conducted by the Central agency against the key drug players.

ED sources said that the accused persons maintained an interstate network facilitating drug trafficking across various states, including Tripura, Assam, Bihar, and other parts of India.