· Enforcement agencies impounded illicit cartons of
cigarettes on 26 operations along Indo-Myanmar border during months of July and
August alone
· Appeals for stricter vigilance along borders to
curtail the menace of smuggling
FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and
Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy, (CASCADE), a dedicated
platform for generating awareness on the adverse impact of smuggling and
illicit trading, congratulated the Director General of Assam Rifles and the
officers for their valuable contribution in anti-smuggling work. In a
commendable effort, the officers of Assam Rifles in the last two months seized
smuggled cigarettes worth around Rs. 14 crore along with other illicit items
such as drugs, betel nuts etc. Various battalions of the forces intercepted
smugglers transporting the illicit consignments using bikes, cars and trucks
while hiding them inside rice sacks, jungle tracks, vegetation and others.
FICCI CASCADE has also
requested Secretary, Home, Govt. of India for appropriate intervention to
sensitize other paramilitary forces on the gravity of the issue and amplify the
need for a greater focus on combating smuggling and smuggling-related crimes at
the borders.
Experts believe that
the recent increase in smuggling in the North East could be due to the economic
distress insinuated by COVID-19. Loss of jobs and lack of income due to
recurrent lockdowns have left citizens without a means of livelihood. Reports
suggest that smugglers and insurgents are using people from the local tribal
areas to transport smuggled goods by taking advantage of their financial
vulnerability caused due to COVID-19.
In order to create
large-scale awareness of this menace, FICCI CASCADE has been conducting
interactions with government and enforcement agencies across several states in
.JPG)
