Mangaluru: On the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Coast Guard Karnataka held a seminar on taking against sea-borne smuggling and narcotics control onboard its state-of-art Offshore Patrol Vessel, ICGS Shoor on Sunday, June 26.
The seminar included presentations on the topics related to drug abuse and sea-borne smuggling, the discussion about drug menace,ill effects on society especially children &teenagers and way ahead for curbing the menace. Dr Shreekumar Menon, IRS (Retd) was the Chief Guest and Deputy Inspector General KR Suresh, TM, the Commander, Coast Guard Karnataka was the Guest of Honour for the seminar. The seminar was attended by officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Customs, Police and Coast Guard Officers and men posted at Mangaluru.
Dr ShreekumarMenon, IRS (Retd) has held the prestigious post of the Director General, National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN), Faridabad. Dr Shreekumar sensitised the participants about the modus operandi of drug peddlers and the strategy for control of the Drugs. Sendhil Murugan, Superintendent of Customs, Mangaluru also spoke about the drugs control and provisions ofNarcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
DIG KR Suresh, TM, the Commander, Coast Guard Karnataka, addressed about Indian Coast Guard’s successful operations that foiled the nefarious designs of the anti-national elements to smuggle narcotics and illegal commodities. He stated that a cooperative strategy by all the enforcement agencies with the Narcotics Control Bureau can thwart narcotics and drug menace as a clear and present danger.
Prior to taking over as the Commander, Coast Guard Karnataka, DIG KR Suresh, TM held the post of Principal Director of Operations when ICG had confiscated narcotics worth more than Rs. 600 crores off the Gujarat coast.
Speaking on the sidelines of the seminar, the Commander Coast Guard Karnataka stated, “While our units in Karnataka are always ready to undertake humanitarian operations to save precious lives at sea, we are also committed to foil any act to smuggle narcotics and illegal goods. But, narcotics smuggling from the oceans can be thwarted only with alertness and actionable intelligence”.
The Commander told that the 2016, theme of the United Nations against drug abuse is ‘Listen First’. Listening to children and youth is the very first step to help them grow healthy and safe, besides enabling them to listen to the experience of the elders.
The state of Karnataka has a large floating population of students and workforce employed in various fields like IT and allied industries. The multi-cultural society and possibility of smuggling of narcotics pose a challenge to the security and enforcement agencies. The coast of Karnataka is also vulnerabledue to the long coastline of 320 Kms and proximity to international shipping lane between Lakshadweep and Western Peninsular India.
Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi has an independent Directorate of Anti-Smuggling and Narcotics Control (ASNC), which coordinates with Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Customs authorities, Police and other concerned agencies. ASNC also coordinates counter maritime narco-terrorist activities. The Directorate’s input are provided to various ships and craft, which are operating at sea.
The presence of ICG units in Karnataka has been gradually strengthened. Besides ships, the state has two Hovercrafts (Air Cushion Vehicles), which can operate along the coast and inside creeks and shallow areas. In near future, an Air Enclave will also be started at Mangaluru. All the ships and crafts undertake security patrol for the safety of people of the coastal state of Karnataka.
The workshop on narcotics brought the wave of enthusiasm and ended with commitment of the participants to safeguard the society, children, youth and Karnataka from the menace of drugs and illegal substances.
