City narcotics bureau hit by staff crunch

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is functioning with minimum staff. With narcotics related cases on the rise, the apex government agency that keeps a check on smuggling and illegal manufacturing of narcotic drugs, has barely 30% manpower of the required or sanctioned staff in Maharashtra and Goa.

NCB, Maharashtra and Goa, is functioning with only six intelligence officers for over a year. The Goa unit of the NCB which was created last year had two intelligence officers headed by a superintendent. But, at present, no officers are posted there.

Mumbai, Goa, Pune and a few other cities in western India are very important as they are the transit points for smuggling of drugs. “Intelligence officers join our agency on deputation from cadres like Customs, Excise, CISF, BSF and a few other Central government agencies. They are selected from their cadre and then their posting are decided from the NCB headquarters in Delhi,’’ said a senior NCB officer.

Another officer from the NCB headquarters said: ‘’The recruitment process is being conducted on high priority and very soon we will have some more intelligence officers to fill up the vacant positions. This would ease the work pressure on the officers presently serving NCB.”

Most of these positions have been vacant for more than a year. Direct recruitment was made for the rank of intelligence officers last year but it was in a very small number.