Physical re-mapping done, surveillance up on borders

Mukesh Ranjan in New Delhi

Unlawful trade and smuggling of illicit drug and psychotropic substances from across the western border has for long been a major challenge. Pakistan’s army and intelligence agency ISI have been relentlessly targeting India with the help of terror organisations, who have indulged in drug trafficking to make easy money to support nefarious designs.

After a re-assessment of the method and quantum of terror funding, the government has taken several steps, said a senior official in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. These include handing over probe in such cases to the National Investigation Agency, empowering BSF and SSB to conduct search, seizure and arrest suspects, and forming a Narco Co-ordination Centre (NCORD) under the Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau to provide a common platform for all drug law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders.

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Intelligence inputs suggest that poppy (raw material) is majorly grown in Afghanistan, which is in turn sent to Pakistan for processing and then the finished stuff is pushed into India.

“As per a rough estimate, 1 kg of poppy is illegally sold to Pakistani processing units at Rs 10,000-15,000, which after processing 1 kg of end products (opium and heroin) cost in the range of Rs 5 lakh. But the moment it reaches the Indian market, the cost rises to Rs 1 crore, and once the consignments reach the West, the price goes up to Rs 5 crore,” the official said.

The MHA has directed the NCB to step up its activities. Rakesh Asthana, DG, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, who was assigned additional charge of DG-NCB, recently chaired the first meeting of NCORD.

Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, tasked to look after matters related to internal security, said the BSF, which guards the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders, has undertaken various measures to curtail the drug menace. These include a review of surveillance through vulnerability mapping of Border Out Posts and deployment of additional manpower.

Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the BSF to conduct a physical re-mapping of borders to identify vulnerable spots for infiltration and arms-drugs smuggling. The exercise has concluded and the BSF has bolstered its patrolling and launched special operations, including anti-tunnelling exercise.

The SSB, deployed on the Nepal and Bhutan borders, has also hightened its patrolling to check illegal activities.

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