On Cops, Smugglers and picturesque Himachal

As I chanced upon this news-item yesterday, “Five cops…suspended…nexus between cops and the drug mafia“, I was reminded of this article from earlier this week: Vulnerable India faces a new threat by Ramtanu Maitra in which he wrote, “…India is becoming increasingly unstable…(and) the latest source of instability is the growing inflow of drugs and the establishment of drug-trafficking networks inside India…”

Sh. Maitra cited the latest report (March ’08) of the International Narcotics Control Board which mentioned (that): “…the use of courier services for drug trafficking is on the rise in India, and the country is increasingly being used as a major transit as well as destination country for smuggling of banned substances…”

While the International Narcotics Control report did not go into any details about drug trafficking in India, the increasing prevalance of drugs in the border areas and rise in drug trafficking is well documented…

Alongside Goa, Rajasthan and Himachal are fast becoming major transit areas for movement of drugs within and outside India.

In pristine Himachal, the roots of drug smuggling can be traced to the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which led to “settlement of displaced Afghans in Kullu” and consequently “…to the first planned business in trade and cultivation of narcotics in that area.  Afghan settlers preferred the hilly terrain of Kullu-Manali for climatic reasons. They gradually developed links with local youths, and soon heralded the era of “smack, heroin, and brown sugar” in that region…” [ link ].

Manali’s links with the drug trade have been known for at least a few years now as is the heavy presence of Israelis in the region. According to this report in The Hindu, the Israeli government …”has established a camp in Manali town of Himachal Pradesh to rescue their citizens from becoming drug addicts and educate them about their religion.”

Alongwith Manali, Kullu too is becoming increasingly popular with foreign visitors (again, mostly Israelis) – a vast majority of whom come their in pursuit of cheap and easy drugs. Harsh Thakur’s report (cited earlier) mentions that “Cannabis took root in the area after 3,000 Israelis made Kasol their home…“. This report mentions that almost 70,000 Israeli’s visit the region each year.

In McLeodganj alone, the number of Israelis staying in and around the town is more than 4,000. [ link ]. This is predicatably causing local issues but more worryingly, this large semi-transient population of foreigners is both – a distribution network as well as a consumer of cheap, local drugs.

It is not clear to me precisely how these foreigners have managed to “settle” here… I need not mention the ineffectiveness of local administration in handling this problem (- or worse their possible collusion in this activity which lets it continue unchecked).  To get a sense of how bad the situation is, read this extract from Harish Thakur’s first-hand report from Manali:

An Israeli revealed some interesting facts about the trade. Kutla, a remote village in Parvati Valley, is the hub of charas cultivation. Police have little access here and people work fearlessly. Foreigners hire one acre of land for just 10,000 rupees (about $223), and raise about 40 kilograms of charas. Cheap Nepali labour makes things easy, as villages such as Malana, Kasol, and Tosh compete for higher production.

The drug mafia has set up “headline fields,” which can be sacrificed if the police carry out a raid. But fields in the higher slopes of the mountains have been left untouched, and production there thrives. The trade here is mostly controlled by drug cartels from Israel and Italy. About 90% of the Rs. 900-crore trade is controlled by foreigners. Police protection is secured – at a price. For good charas people trust Italians more and a gram of Kullu charas that costs about Rs. 25 locally can fetch as much as Rs. 3000/- in Holland.

According to a State Narcotics Report, over 3,000 acres of mountain land in Himachal Pradesh is under illegal cannabis cultivation, run by the Italian and Israeli drug mafia through local residents.

The government is well aware of the illegal cultivation as well as reports which indicate that “drug syndicates are trying to spread their operations in the country by joining hands with poachers…” but is hampered by political compulsions and socio-economic circumstances…

Last month, efforts by an NGO to encourage villagers to grow herbal alternatives in place of cannabis did not yield much results:

The Himalayan Phyto-Chemical Growers Association (HIMPA), an NGO that came here on Sunday with a proposal to provide a viable economic alternative to cannabis cultivation in the Malana area, faces a huge task as around 2,100 villagers remain a divided house over its proposal.

…Narcotics smugglers remained absent from the seminar on alternative crops that was held here on Sunday

Not surprisingly, at least part of the reason why this trade flourishes here is poverty and general under-development:

Extreme poverty usually compels many poor villagers in far-flung hinterland to accept the offers made by smugglers to cultivate cannabis. Its cultivation has affected a major area of the State which is major tourist destination for its spectacular view of Himalayan peaks and picturesque valleys.

Lured by the chain of drug traffickers, small local farmers and villagers grow cannabis to earn a fast buck. Officials say villagers are advised by the drug traffickers to cultivate cannabis in the forests to avoid police cases…Local cannabis usually make its way to adjoining States of Punjab and Haryana besides capital New Delhi and far off Goa, a popular destination for foreign tourists on the western coast of India. [ link ]

…but the really worrying thing I found was the evidence of links between drug trade, terrorism and hawala transactions…Last month:

The district police…recovered 450 gm poppy husk and Indian and foreign currency from two vehicles intercepted at Kandwal barrier on the Pathankot-Kangra road.

The Kangra SP Atul Fulzele while talking to The Tribune said the objectionable material was recovered from two Scorpios at the naka. … The police also recovered Rs 3.30 lakh in Indian currency, $ 2500 and a truck engine and a generator from the vehicles.

The SP said that during interrogation the accused told the police that they purchased American currency from a person in the Kashmir valley. The police is suspecting the accused might be involved in hawala trading…

Laments aside, what can really be done? When I began thinking about this, I realised that there are no easy answers (e.g. a zero tolerance policy – which will only end up getting the smallest fish in jail or hanged)…

What may work are these suggested steps…

1. Increasing skills-based training, better (and more facilities for) education with an emphasis on female literacy

2. Developing new local industries; in particular, hydel power generation (and possibly solar/wind)

3. Creating alternatives in the established tourism sector (adventure tourism), high-end tourism

4. Stricter law enforcement…E.g. read this extract:

I was shocked when I saw the scene of the mela to find cannabis being sold openly. There was a shop where shake made of marijuana was freely available and local police was doing nothing. Gambling was also openly played. Its pertinent to mention that according to law sale of cannabis is banned and gambling in public places is also banned. However when I spoke to gambling vendor, he said he paid Rs. 1000 to local mela committee and around Rs. 1500 to local police. So there was no chance of him getting stopped by law or by local community. Not to mention the local MLA was chief guest of this mela (fair). I brought the CD and photos as evidence and would happily share them with government if they plan to take any action. [ link ]

5. And finally (as always), “better” local leadership which translates as clean, efficient and genuinely committed to public welfare…

But I am sure there are other, better ideas out there….What do readers think? How can Himachal be pulled out of a vortex of drug cartels and mafias?

Comments and thoughts welcome as always…

Find of the Day: Malana