Aizawl, May 25 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah has supported the Mizoram government’s proposal to establish a Mizo Territorial Army (MTA) battalion to deal with drug trafficking and other law and order-related issues, officials said on Sunday.

A senior official of the Mizoram government said that Chief Minister Lalduhoma, during his visit to New Delhi, discussed several issues with the Home Minister last week.

“The Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to the Home Minister for supporting his proposal to establish a Mizo Territorial Army battalion, describing it as a crucial initiative to provide employment for Mizo youths while contributing to national security,” the official said.

He said that during the meeting, Shah expressed his deep appreciation for Mizoram, describing it as “one of the most peaceful states in India.”

Regarding the handover of Lengpui Airport to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Shah assured his commitment to intervene and expedite the process as needed.

They further reviewed the status of the Mizoram Maintenance of Household Registers Bill, 2019, which was passed by the Mizoram Legislative Assembly during the previous MNF (Mizo National Front) government and remains pending with the President of India, the official said.

He said that for quite a long time, the state government has been requesting the Centre to help the state to raise the MTA to deal with the smuggling of drugs and other contrabands being illegally imported from Myanmar.

“The state government has manpower shortages to deal with the narcotics trafficking from across the border. The state government earlier submitted proposals to the Ministry of Home Affairs about the raising of the MTA,” he said.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has recently proposed setting up its zonal office in Mizoram.

NCB Director General Anurag Garg recently met Mizoram Chief Minister and suggested setting up a full-fledged NCB zonal office in the state and emphasised the need for more staff and officials who are acquainted with the local language and the ground situation of the state.

Lalduhoma, a former IPS officer, during the meeting with Garg had discussed ways and means to curb the drug trade and usage of narcotics by the youth.

The Chief Minister had told the NCB DG that he had already requested the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to constitute or to allow the state government to form the MTA to further strengthen vigilance along the state’s unfenced borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Mizoram shares a 510 km and 318 km border with Myanmar and Bangladesh, respectively, and these unfenced frontiers are hotspots for the smuggling of diverse drugs, including highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, foreign cigarettes, areca nuts, arms and ammunition, and exotic animals and their parts.

–IANS

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