Congress MP from Tura, Saleng A Sangma on Thursday came down heavily on the state government for “unchecked illegal trade and smuggling activities” along Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh. He said the continuing inaction is not only fuelling the state’s drug crisis but also endangering public health, with children now falling victim to HIV infections.
Raising concerns over the deteriorating situation, Saleng said, “There might be a lot of smuggling from India to Bangladesh and vice versa, and the number of drug users has increased to more than 3 lakh within these years. A major concern in Meghalaya is the HIV infection among children.”
He asked why the government has failed to address the rampant illegal stone quarrying and cross-border smuggling, apart from illegal coal mining and transportation. The MP said he would visit the vulnerable border areas and convene a joint meeting involving Customs and BSF officials and district commissioners to assess the situation.
