AGARTALA: In an address during the Assembly session on January 11, Tripura’s Chief Minister, Manik Saha, declared that the has arrested 1,052 individuals in 633 drug-related cases in 2023.
Responding to Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MLA Jitendra Chaudhury’s call for attention, Chief Minister Saha, while stressing on the state’s substantial leap in the fight against narcotics, said that the number has gone up from the past two years.
Saha highlighted the success of the Tripura Police’s anti-narcotics efforts over the last three years.
In 2021, 501 arrests were made, seizing substantial quantities of drugs, including marijuana, cough syrup, narcotic tablets, and heroin.
In 2022, the numbers rose to 759 arrests and escalated drug confiscations.
The momentum continued in 2023, with 1,052 arrests and a significant haul of illegal substances.
He further stressed that the surge in intravenous drug use has led to a spike in HIV cases.
In response, the Tripura State AIDS Control Society has initiated plans to establish a network of seven Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centres, he added.
These centres are planned along critical locations, including the Tripura-Mizoram border, Assam-Agartala National Highway, and within the city.
The proposed OST facilities are slated to come up in Damcherra and Jampui (North Tripura), Kumarghat and Kailashahar (Unakoti), Ambassa (Dhalai), and Jirania and Bhati Abhoynagar (West Tripura).
To address addiction concerns, Saha also outlined collaborative efforts among various state departments, NGOs, and national agencies.
He detailed the establishment of Nasha Mukt Bharat Campaign Committees (NMBCC) at state and district levels, aiming to assess addiction scenarios and formulate prevention plans.
The recent addition of an Addiction Treatment Facility (ATF) reflects the state’s commitment to combating substance abuse, with plans for expansion to other districts underway, the Chief Minister said.
