Guwahati, Jan. 26 (PTI): Over 3,600 people have been arrested for drug trafficking, and 520 for cattle smuggling in Assam in 2021, Governor Jagdish Mukhi said on Wednesday.
He also announced the creation of Tamulpur district from Baksa in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Mukhi said that 98.35 per cent of border fencing along the India-Bangladesh international border in Assam has been completed.
Hoisting the National Flag on the occasion of the 73rd Republic Day, during which parade contingents raised the 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogan for the first time, Mukhi said that the Assam government is committed to fighting crimes in all forms.
"Assam government has zero-tolerance against any kind of crime be it drug trafficking, crime against women and children, human trafficking, cattle smuggling or cybercrime.
"A total of 64.16 kg of heroin, 18,590.74 kg of ganja, 69.33 kg of opium, 31,64,726 banned tablets and 1,55,851 bottles of cough syrup along with INR 2.35 crore in cash have been seized, and 2,152 cases under NDPS Act registered against 3,543 people in 2021," he said.
Mukhi said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is developing 'Drugs Free Assam' mobile application through which anyone can provide information about drugs to the police.
He said that 7,109 bovine animals have been rescued from 184 vehicles transporting them, and 520 people booked in 685 cases from January to October last year.
"You will be happy to know that the government has decided to upgrade the Tamulpur sub-division to a district. It will be the 35th district of the state and the fifth in BTR," he said.
Mukhi said that 7,35,792 houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) were sanctioned to Assam against the target of 7,68,600 and 4,52,064 houses have been completed so far.
Of the 63,35,015 rural households in the state, 17,25,911 units have already been provided with tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
A target of providing tap water connection to 22,62,735 households has been set in this fiscal, he said.
The state government has proposed to set up four palm oil nurseries, one seed garden and one oil extraction cum processing plant during this financial year, he said.
Mukhi said that Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) has completed electrification of all revenue villages of the state and has provided electricity connection to all eligible households in such villages under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Saubhagya schemes.
"APDCL is undertaking a phase-wise installation of smart meters. A total of 1.75 lakh smart meters have been installed in Guwahati and Dibrugarh, and a process is underway to bring all 64 lakh consumers under smart meters by 2025," he said.
The governor prayed for those who lost their lives to Covid-19, and lauded the dedication of frontline personnel.
No cultural programmes or award functions were held on account of the pandemic, and school children were not allowed to participate in Republic Day celebrations in the state.
Only security personnel with double doses of the Covid-19 vaccine took part in the ceremonial parade and march past.