JORHAT, Nov 20 - AICC Secretary and former legislator of Jorhat Rana Goswami has slammed the Jorhat district and police administration for their �failure� in preventing drug peddling, illegal tax collection from three and four-wheeler passenger vehicles and from trucks at the bypass.
Addressing mediapersons at the Congress Bhawan here, Goswami said that the situation has reached such a point that people including a large number of women of a particular locality in the town last week came out to streets to protest against police inaction against drugs peddlers.
He alleged that Jorhat which has vast historical, heritage, cultural significance and has emerged as an educational hub over the years, was fast becoming a centre of drugs peddling in recent times.
�There have been often reports in the media and also I have been told by a lot of people about spread of narcotics trade in the town thereby posing a threat to the upcoming generation,� Goswami stated.
The former MLA suspected a section of the police personnel was involved in the trade. He added that he was told by many people and reliable sources that areas within five Jorhat Municipal Board have been most affected by drug peddling.
Goswami demanded that police should undertake a major drive against drug peddlers to root out the illegal trade that could ruin the future of youths.
The AICC Secretary alleged that he had received complaints from tempo, auto-rickshaw drivers that they were now forced to pay to members of transport syndicates which were �operating freely�.
�How could such illegal activities be carried out without having support of the police and the blessings of leaders of the ruling party,� Goswami questioned. He said most of the three-wheeler and four-wheeler owners were unemployed youths, who were provided licences to run their vehicles during previous Congress Government�s period
Quoting reports published in a section of the media, Goswami further alleged that the Police, Forest departments and the district administration also failed to prevent a coal syndicate from operating in the district that was collecting protection money from trucks transporting coal from Nagaland via Mariani and Jorhat.
