Dehradun, Sept. 14 -- Uttarakhand additional director general of police (Law and Order) V Murugesan on Saturday directed senior police officers across the state to expedite pending cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and intensify action against drug traffickers, people familiar with the matter said. In a review meeting held via video conferencing with police chiefs of Garhwal and Kumaon ranges and district police heads, the ADG instructed officers to personally monitor investigations and ensure time-bound disposal of cases. He also told the state-level Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), which comes under jurisidiction of Special Task Force (STF), and district ANTF units to step up recoveries, strengthen surveillance and intelligence gathering, and make checking drives more effective. All NDPS cases pending since 2023 should be disposed of without delay, and in cases registered in 2024-25, officers must trace forward and backward links and ensure action under Sections 27A and 29 of the Act, said Murugesan. He also asked officials to act against professional criminals under the Gangster Act, attach their illegally acquired properties, and conduct swift financial investigations under Section 68 of the NDPS Act to confiscate illicit assets. Custody remand of arrested accused should be secured to facilitate recoveries and dismantle criminal networks, he said. The ADG also said that the centralized MANAS Portal must be effectively used to verify the criminal histories of accused and enable strict legal action. Murugesan said investigating officers should be trained in the provisions of the NDPS schedule, including chemical names of narcotic and psychotropic substances, with periodic reviews....