Pubdate: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 Source: Times of India, The (India) Copyright: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 2002 Contact: http://www.timesofindia.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/453 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. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens