Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Nov 10
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has operationalised its office in Srinagar’s Peer Bagh area and launched targeted operations against narcotics suppliers, as enforcement agencies step up efforts to curb drug trafficking in Jammu and Kashmir.
The office will focus on identifying and dismantling drug supply networks in the Valley, senior NCB official Abhishek Sharma told Greater Kashmir.
“We have opened an office here, and the only motive is Drug Free Kashmir,” Sharma said, adding that the agency had also counselled several people to help them stay away from substance abuse.
NCB teams are working in coordination with the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other enforcement agencies. The bureau has dealt with eight cases since beginning operations, officials said.
Alongside enforcement, the agency is facilitating six-month rehabilitation programmes outside Jammu and Kashmir for people seeking addiction treatment.
Sharma said individuals willing to undergo rehabilitation could approach the office, with their identities kept confidential.
“We will keep their identity confidential and are sending them for six-month rehabilitation programmes outside,” he said.
The bureau is also conducting awareness programmes in schools and universities as part of the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyan and the nationwide Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
The Srinagar zonal unit has been established as part of the Union government’s efforts to strengthen narcotics enforcement in Jammu and Kashmir.
Its operations have included intelligence-based seizures of charas in areas such as Anantnag and the Baramulla-Pulwama belt, besides joint action with local police against suspected drug supply networks.
The initiative comes amid an intensified crackdown on narcotics across the Union Territory.
Under the 100-day Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyan launched by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in April 2026, police registered thousands of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested thousands of people.
In Kashmir Zone, police registered 1,651 NDPS cases between January and October 2026, arrested 1,941 people and seized around 1,711 kg of contraband, according to figures cited by officials. Properties worth approximately Rs 154 crore linked to the drug trade were also attached.
Jammu and Kashmir-wide figures cited by senior officers during the campaign included more than 3200 cases and over 4000 arrests, with 288 properties valued at around Rs 138 crore attached.
Official data has also indicated a substantial increase in the number of people seeking treatment for substance addiction in recent years.
The number of patients receiving treatment at supported centres rose from around 5300 in 2021-22 to more than 46,000 in 2025-26, officials said.
The increase in treatment figures comes amid continuing enforcement operations against drug trafficking and efforts to expand awareness and rehabilitation services.
Officials have described the government’s approach as focusing on three areas: disrupting supply networks, increasing public awareness and facilitating treatment and rehabilitation.
The NCB has urged people to share information about narcotics trafficking through the MANAS helpline, assuring confidentiality for those providing information.
