Kerala to set up special anti-drug task force as ‘Operation Toofan’ intensifies

Kochi, July 3 (IANS) The Kerala government said on Friday that the formation of a Special Task Force, led by the State Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar, to intensify the fight against drug trafficking as part of the next phase of ‘Operation Toofan’, the state’s flagship anti-narcotics campaign.

Inaugurating ‘Toofan Jagaran’ at Perumbavoor, State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the new task force would coordinate anti-drug operations across Kerala and lead efforts to dismantle inter-state narcotics networks through intelligence sharing and joint operations with neighbouring states.

He added that a meeting of the Directors General of Police of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Telangana has been convened on July 10 to strengthen coordinated action against drug syndicates operating across state borders.

Additional police personnel will also be deployed in Perumbavoor to bolster enforcement.

Describing Perumbavoor as the Plywood Capital of Asia, the Minister said drug mafias had attempted to exploit the town’s thriving migrant workforce and industrial profile as a cover for narcotics trafficking.

“Operation Toofan is a mission to restore Perumbavoor’s true identity. We will not rest until the drug mafia is uprooted,” he added.

Chennithala said the campaign would go beyond arrests and seizures, with strict legal action, continuous surveillance and rehabilitation initiatives forming part of the strategy.

He announced that every resident of Perumbavoor would be designated a “Toofan Warrior” and interacted with migrant workers in Hindi to enlist their support in the campaign.

The Minister also lauded Little Flower Hospital at Angamaly, the first institution to join the Toofan Care initiative, and said around 35 hospitals had expressed willingness to partner with the programme.

State Police Chief Chandrasekhar said the campaign could succeed only with active public participation, while Congress MP Benny Behanan said that he would raise the need for amendments to the NDPS Act in Parliament.

Congress MLA Manoj Moothedan described the initiative as the beginning of a determined drive to make Perumbavoor drug free.

Thousands, including police personnel, elected representatives, students, traders, industrialists, community leaders and migrant workers, participated in the anti-drug rally and public outreach programmes held across the town as part of the second phase of “Operation Toofan: The Narco Hunt”.

–IANS

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