In an attempt to fight the drug nexus in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up 6 new forensic labs in UP. These new labs, which will add to the existing 12 forensic labs in the state, will come up in Basti, Banda, Ayodhya, Saharanpur, Azamgarh and Mirzapur.

The Anti-Narcotics Task Force in UP, which was set up in 2022, has already begun carrying out operations in order to catch and punish drug traffickers in the state. With the addition of 6 new forensic labs, they will get the back-up they need to speed up their investigations with faster drug-testing.

Currently, it takes upwards of 15 days to get test results for seized drug samples. As a result, the entire process from investigation to court proceedings get delayed. Once the new forensic labs in UP are up and running, the entire investigation report for drug-related cases will be readied within the week, helping the task force to deal swift justice to offenders.