Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said his government will build a special squad to tackle the problem of drug trafficking in the tourist state. After MLAs across parties spoke in the Goa Assembly about the narcotics problem, Parrikar said he will personally monitor efforts to address the matter.
Parrikar warned of a crackdown on night-long beach parties and rave parties, The Times of India reported. “A person can’t dance the whole night without doping,” he said. “A person who consumes alcohol at the most will be able to dance for an hour or two.”
The chief minister said the Anti-Narcotics Cell – a team of 30 – needed to be expanded to at least 100 people. “Let us consider 2018 as the anti-drug and anti-accident year,” he said after Poriem MLA Pratapsingh Rane moved a “calling attention” motion over the drug problem.
Parrikar also said that the number of drugs-related cases registered in 2017 was over two and a half times the average annual figure. “New types of drugs keep coming into the market,” he said. “We will need specialised persons with knowledge of drugs to tackle the problem effectively, and we are working on it.”
An online forum will be built for people who want to anonymously share information on drug trafficking, Parrikar said. The state is also hiring counsellors for schools and colleges to identify students who indulge in drugs, he said. A drug rehabilitation centre will also be built.
Soon after he took over as the chief minister of Goa in March, Parrikar had given “strict instructions” to the police to “crack down on drugs, prostitution and illegal gambling” seen at late night rave parties.
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