The Government of Jammu and Kashmir approved setting up of Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in J&K under the overall superintendence and control of Inspector General of Police, Crime J&K. The new task force will comprise of 100 police offices, including one Superintendent of police, one Deputy Superintendent of Police, nine Inspectors, 18 Sub-Inspectors and 52 constables, the order issued on Thursday read.
ANTF against drug abuse in J&K
The sole purpose of the ANTF in J&K is to curb the drug menace in the valley. DGP J&K Sh Dilbag Singh thanked the Lt. Governor Sh G C Murmu and his administration and said that the creation of force on police proposal will help in fighting the drug menace in the UT.
"This will be yet another special wing within the Police department to deal with crimes related to drugs and their trafficking," Singh added.
The rising drug problem in the Valley
The move comes after an unprecedented rise in drug abuse has been reported in Kashmir. The senior police and government officials have been concerned with this trend. Thousands of young Kashmiri youth are indulged in drug abuse and most of them are heroin addicts. Most of the drugs are imported from foreign countries and a network of paddlers spread from the LoC to the Valley make the drug transport possible.
More often than not, the police have been blamed for not doing enough, even though there have been several drug busts in the valley over the years. But big drug kingpins are often set loose, which continue the trend of drug use in the UT. With the new Anti Narcotics Task Force, there might be some relief to the people of J&K and help wipe out the menace of drugs from the Valley once and for all.
