Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday informed the house that the state government is in the process of procuring advanced machines approved by UNDP for scanning heroin concealed in vehicles and to confirm whether a particular seized item is heroin or not.
He provided the information while clarifying a cut motion raised on demand for grants for the Police department during the ongoing full budget session.
He asserted that the government is seriously committed to the War on Drugs campaign. He further recounted that the state government even drafted an ordinance under the NDPS Act, 1985 to make punishments more severe. The approval from the centre for the same is awaited, he added.
Opposition MLAs K Meghachandra, K Ranjit, Th Lokeshwar and Okram Surjakumar raised cut motions on Monday’s demands for grants for police and relief and disaster management while MLAs Ram Muivah and M Rameshwar gave their observations.
The opposition MLAs raised the cut motions, highlighting the alleged inability to create additional 40 inspectors posts for females; lack of proper policy for transfer and posting; inability to control drug issue; delay in border fencing; lack of modern surveillance and equipment among others.
Clarifying over the matters, the chief minister said that police is the backbone of governance and a good system is crucial in bettering the state police.
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“From day one, our government has been giving priority on boosting the morale of the police and reciprocating their efforts through awards and accolades,” he said.
Biren maintained that police-public relations have considerably improved over the years and communication gaps have been bridged.
He further said that the government has been working on a micro level improvement as well as through issuance of uniforms, vehicles and arms among others. “We are really focusing on police modernisation,” he added.
He further said that the 100 per cent conviction rate in POCSO cases cannot be achieved without the efficiency of police.
Regarding the border fencing, he said that GPS coordination is an internationally accepted machinery process. The coordinates registered in the GPS for Manipur cannot be shifted, he further said, adding that steps have also been taken to fence the vulnerable Beihang area as well.
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Biren also expressed the need for strengthening the cyber crime police with modern equipment in today’s era.
He said that a DNA testing machine has been installed though they are yet to become operational. He mentioned that vacant posts of forensic science lab will also be filled soon to facilitate justice delivery in various cases.
He explained that the government is also planning to set up a highway patrol battalion of Manipur police in the near future. Besides, the distance of 10 km now being covered by each patrol team might also be shortened to around 5 km, he added.
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