Shillong: Drug abuse is choking the life out of Shillong. Dealers and users now openly haunt Khyndai Lad and GS Road, turning busy bus shelters into squalid dens for addicts. Visitors to the city's main commercial district face constant harassment. Locals report that addicts frequently hound pedestrians for cash to feed their habits. The Federation of Shillong Hotels warned the Superintendent of Police that these crimes are trashing the state's reputation as a top travel destination.
Police patrols are visible, but residents say the effort lacks teeth. Addicts linger in the open without fear. The Harijan Panchayat Committee has now moved to take matters into their own hands. They asked East Khasi Hills Police for permission to launch a Youth Volunteer Wing in Harijan Colony. The group wants to copy the Village Defence Party system to track down peddlers.
HPC secretary Gurjit Singh insists that the situation is dire. He wrote to SP Vivek Syiem, noting that "the drug problem in the colony has reached alarming proportions." The committee wants police to train their volunteers on how to handle surveillance and legal procedures. They plan to issue identification cards and keep a tight watch on their streets. Residents hope these patrols will finally force the criminals out.
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