BJP talks tough on drugs, but fails to revamp NCB

CHANDIGARH: While the BJP-led Union Government has made combat against drugs its top priority, it is yet to translate it into action as is evident by the shortage of staff at the Narcotics Control Bureau, the premier national agency for handling drug smuggling cases.

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 5

While the BJP-led Union Government has made combat against drugs its top priority, it is yet to translate it into action as is evident by the shortage of staff at the Narcotics Control Bureau, the premier national agency for handling drug smuggling cases.

The BJP leaders are concentrating on Punjab and adjoining states, but against the requirement of nearly 20 investigating officers, only four are posted.

Sources said the shortage was not limited to field staff as the top three posts of the national team, including the Director General, the Deputy Director General (DDG), Operations, and the DDG, Headquarters, are lying vacant since March this year.

Fight against drugs was one of the poll planks of the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections. The NCB was ignored by the previous UPA government also, but in February last year, it announced revamping the NCB by taking the staff strength to 900 from the existing about 400.

However, the NDA government could not revamp the NCB fast even though its election manifesto talked about ending the menace of drugs.

Under the proposal, it was decided to augment the staff to 30 in Chandigarh unit which oversees the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The NCB concentrates on busting the national or international chains due to which one investigating officers spends considerable time in following a lead. As only four officers are available now, the NCB could not follow all leads.

Sources in the department said help of other law enforcing agencies was taken, but the investigation was mainly based on information network where the team worked in a secretive manner. In such a scenario, sharing information could compromise the case, they said.

Sources in Delhi said the proposal to fill the top three posts was underway. They said currently Dr Ashok Prasad, Special Secretary, Internal Security, was holding the additional charge of the NCB.