A total of 32 drug addict villagers of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh voluntarily surrendered their bamboo pipes used for drug consumption and pledged to undergo drug de-addiction.

As a token of love, the Changlang district police donated one carrom board at the de-addiction centre.

Changlang superintendent of police Mihin Gambo visited a temporary drug de-addiction centre being run under Nasha Mukht Bharat Abhiyan at Jongphohate village in Yatdam circle under Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

“This initiative will encourage others. Changlang district is affected due to opium addicts. But, recently many addicts have decided to leave opium consumption,” said a source.

Meanwhile, the state government has taken many awareness programmes on drug addiction and its impact.

The Arunachal Pradesh government has already gone all-out against the government employees, who are drug addicts.

The government has made it mandatory for the drug addict employees to report their drug addiction to senior officers.

In the month of May last year, the police in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh arrested a Postmaster named Kalido Pertin for providing Rs 1.15 lakh to procure 12.5 gm of heroin from Tezpur in Assam’s Sonitpur district.

They also arrested an Indian Reserve Battalion constable, who helped two drug traffickers to cross the Bhalukpong check gate on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

After the arrests, the Arunachal Pradesh government’s suspicion of government employees’ involvement in drug addiction was confirmed.

This compelled the Arunachal Pradesh government to ask its employees to report their addiction to senior officers or face legal action.

Avik Chakraborty is Northeast Now Correspondent in Dibrugarh. He can be reached at: [email protected]