JAMTALA: A HUB FOR HEROIN

KOLKATA: Jamtala is the official name as per municipal and panchayat
records for this remote village along the Indo-Bangladesh border in
Bongaon, in North 24 Pargana district of West Bengal. But the
official name has no recall among locals here. It has been christened
"Heroin er Haat" (Heroin Mart) and this is what even locals prefer to
call their village.

So much so that local bus operators are heard shouting, "Heroin er
Haat stop" (Heroin Mart stop) for the benefit of passengers who
alight here. The story of the name change reflects Jamtala's
emergence as a hub of narcotic trade.

Over the years Jamtala has become a meeting point for drug peddlers
and drug-addicts from the bordering villages of India and Bangladesh.

On one hand, the peddlers use this sensitive border outpost as the
hub for selling various forms of heroin while escaped convicts,
addicts and hardcore criminals find this a safe consuming centre.
Even the state police have received several warnings from the
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on how the region is slowly becoming a
hub for heroin smuggling and consumption.

According to a senior police official posted in the locality, every
afternoon at Jamtala, an assembly of addicts can be commonly found.
He said that generally a pack of heroin wrapped in aluminium foil is
available for around Rs 30. "The aluminium packaging is for
convenience of addicts to burn and 'chase' the drug, under cover of
trees and deserted open fields that are found in plenty around here.
Although circle inspector of Bongaon, S Chatterjee, claimed that the
police are regularly conducting raids to crack the heroin racket in
the region, records say that during the last six months around 15
local youths have reportedly succumbed to drug overdose.

The local police officers admitted that there are problems in keeping
the addicts in custody since in absence of drugs, withdrawal symptoms
set in making it difficult for authorities to continue holding them.
Nor are there any rehabilitation centres in the vicinity of Jamtala.

Bongaon additional DM S Ghosh said the local government is giving
emphasis on creating awareness regarding the deadly effects of heroin
consumption. "We are conducting regular meetings in association with
local panchayet offices to create awareness," he said.