BSF ignores BGB proposal to shut narcotics factories on Indian border
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has not yet responded to a proposal made by Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) during a director-general level meeting in March to shut scores of phensidyl factories across border in India.Officials of Department of Narcotics Control and other sources told UNB that phensidyl smuggling into Bangladesh from India alarmingly increased in the last 1 and half years because of lax border vigilance.
They said smuggling of phensidyl and other contraband drugs have shot up following change of government in both Bangladesh and India couple of years ago and last year's February 25-26 carnage at BDR headquarters in Dhaka.They said that lack of effective border control because of shortage of border guards following BDR mutiny, smugglers stepped up operations across the India-Bangladesh frontier.
Quoting a BGB source Narcotics Control officials said not only India, contraband items are being smuggled into Bangladesh from Myanmar too.About 32 types of narcotics and contraband items were pouring in through 512 points along the 4,400-kilometer long frontier with India and Myanmar, they informed.Alluding to a statistics made recently in this regard by Family Health International, they said different types of banned drugs worth over Tk 347 crore are being smuggled into Bangladesh from India every year.
A UN survey recently revealed that about 65 lakh (6.5 million) people, including 9 lakh women regularly use different types of contraband drugs in Bangladesh while another 1 lakh peddle with banned drugs.But Narcotics Control Department put number of drug addicts in the country at 46 lakh (4.6m).
Talking to UNB, Wadudul Bari Chowdhury, Director Operation, Narcotics Control, admitted that the department is outmoded and understaffed to cope with growing number of narcotics related criminal activities and smugglings on borders.
Among other causes, lack in coordination with other law-enforcement agencies and acute shortage of logistics supply are impeding their efforts to check use of narcotics and curb smuggling, he added.Proposals have been made to the government to update the department, he told UNB.
Admitting this, DG Khandaker Mohammad Alim said besides putting proposal to government for developing the department, joint meetings with India are being arranged to discuss trans-border narcotics smuggling and curbing those effectively. Officials of both countries' narcotics sat across the table recently in India to discuss the problem.
BGB sources said they requested BSF to shut 132 Phensidyl factories located at Indian villages bordering Bangladesh during DG-level meeting of the two countries' border guards held in Indian capital at end of March but the Indians paid no heed to their request. Besides, they mentioned that there are 52 Phensidyl factories in India's West Bengal state near Jessore border and 70 other factories along the 72km border with India near six bordering districts.
Moreover, list of 10 heroin-making and processing factories were placed before BSF DG for taking immediate action against those but no step was taken although nine months have passed, they said.
A BGB official said among 32 drugs, Phensidyl, heroin, hemp, yaba tablets, wine, beer, Lupegesic injection, pathedin, morphine, Viagra tablet, icepill, rectifying spirit, etc are mostly smuggled into the country from India. Many other drugs, including yaba, pour in through the southern-most border with Myanmar.Though discussions were held between narcotics officials of India and Bangladesh no talks were held with Myanmar as yet, Narcotics and BGB officials said.
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