Aizawl: Smuggling of drugs and Burmese areca nuts from Myanmar into Mizoram has fallen sharply in recent months, officials told Chief Minister Lalduhoma during a review meeting on Wednesday. The briefing came as he reviewed the work of the Home Department and the Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Department.

Officials from the Home Department said 12 police stations and 10 Assam Rifles duty posts are now active along the 510 km Mizoram-Myanmar border. Their coordinated operations, they said, have helped curb drug trafficking and the movement of illegal areca nuts.

The meeting also took stock of upcoming border haats aimed at boosting local trade. Preparations are in progress, and the first haat, as directed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, will come up at Zote in Champhai district.

Authorities have issued 21,238 border passes since October under the Free Movement Regime, which allows limited cross-border travel for residents on both sides. Officials added that the next round of talks between Mizoram and Assam on their inter-state border dispute is likely to be held soon.