Mumbai

Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh on Thursday urged stringent action against drug peddlers in Maharashtra, demanding the invocation of tough provisions under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the seizure of assets belonging to those involved in the illegal drug trade.

Criticising the state government and law enforcement agencies, the Congress leader said narcotic substances were easily available near schools and other public places, calling the situation “shameful” despite claims of arrests being made.

Speaking to the media at the Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting, Shaikh said he had consistently raised the issue over the past year. He noted that he had urged the government to go beyond the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and apply MCOCA against drug traffickers.

“I have repeatedly said that strict action should be taken against drugs. I raised the issue in the Assembly that for drug sellers, not just the Drug Act, but MCOCA should be applied. The Chief Minister also worked towards bringing that law, and some people are even being arrested under it,” Shaikh said.

However, the Congress MLA expressed concern that the situation on the ground had not improved significantly.

“Even today, you can see that outside schools, colleges, bus stops and railway stations, drugs are easily available everywhere. One or two BJP MLAs themselves went and caught drugs being sold outside schools, which is extremely shameful for the state government and the police,” he added.

Shaikh stressed that merely arresting the accused was not sufficient and called for strong financial measures to break the backbone of organised drug networks.

“When MCOCA is applied, their properties should also be seized. All their bank accounts and money should be frozen so that no one dares to indulge in such activities,” he said.

Drawing comparisons with other countries, Shaikh said that if strict action similar to that taken against drug traffickers in places such as Dubai and Singapore were implemented in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, it would act as a strong deterrent.

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“If such action is taken in Mumbai city and Maharashtra, then I don’t think anyone will dare to sell drugs here,” he added.