SIEZED DRUGS BURNT

New Delhi: Dark smoke rose high from a large ''pyre'' on the banks of the
Yamuna on Wednesday. In this ''funeral'', about 450 kg of drugs were burnt
at the cremation ground near the Wazirabad bridge. The operation was
supervised by Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Delhi unit to mark the
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Hashish formed the major chunk (almost 90 per cent) of the disposed drugs,
with charas and heroin amounting for the remaining portion.

According to NCB's Delhi zone director Abrar Ahmed, the total worth of the
burnt drugs was almost Rs 10 crore. '' Some of the drug hauls were made as
far back as 1987. The last time such an operation was conducted was in
1998, when 98 kg of seized drugs were burnt,'' he said.

While the Delhi Pollution Control Board (DPCB) had earlier raised concerns
on the environmental hazards of burning narcotics, NCB rules make it
mandatory for seized drugs to be completely destroyed which is possible by
burning them.

'' These drugs may find their way back to peddlers and users if we bury
them. Besides we have not yet received any official statement of protest
from the DPCB. We are open to alternative disposal systems provided they
get the Supreme Court's approval,'' said NCB assistant director S D Sahay.

Drug abuse is on a rise in the city. NCB officials said Pakistan and
Afghanistan have been the traditional route from where drugs reach Delhi.