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Aizawl : The Mizoram government will launch a crackdown on smuggling of contraband, especially drugs and Burmese areca nuts, official sources said on Thursday.
Important official meeting with leaders of the Central Mizo Youth Association (CYMA) chaired by the Chief Minister Zoramthanga Sources said, Thursday decided to set up a task force to combat drug smuggling activities, areca nuts and other contraband.
Officials from the state home department (other departments if necessary) and NGO representatives would participate in the proposed task force, he said.
The meeting decided to take strict measures and make collective efforts to curb smuggling activities and seizure of smuggled goods, he said.
He said that YMA volunteers and other NGOs will assist the state police in the exercise.
The meeting also decided to establish duty posts and check gates as much as possible across the state and on international borders.
It has also decided to work with the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force (BSF), which are guarding the Indo-Myanmar and Bangladesh borders.
The state government will also provide financial assistance to CYMA in its crackdown on drugs and other substance abuse if needed, sources said.
Mizoram has recently become the main route for smuggling illegal items, such as heroin, areca nuts and wild animals from Myanmar.
Both the government and NGOs have made efforts to curb the menace.
Mizoram shares a 510-km long porous border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.
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Recently, enraged mobs burnt six vehicles along with a bunch of Burmese areca nuts in Mizoram’s western Mamit district.
Local areca growers claimed that smuggled Burmese areca nuts had a major impact on their markets, as they could no longer transport their produce to neighboring Assam.
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