Shimla: In order to curb the increasing drug menace, the state government has decided to constitute a Special Task Force headed by the Additional Director General of Police, CID and officers of the Department of State Taxes and Excise.
This was stated by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur while launching ‘Nasha Nahin, Zindagi Chunne’ campaign. This campaign is an initiative of the Department of State Taxes and Excise and HP Nasha Niwaran Board.
During the occasion, CM said that State Government was committed to eradicate the drug menace from the State, for which an Integrated Drug De-addiction Policy has been adopted.
“The State Government has constituted a Nasha Niwaran Board” he added.
He said that 73 posts of Police personnel would be created and filled up in the Department of State Taxes and Excise for effective implementation of Excise NDPS and other regulatory legislation.
“This would not only safeguard Government revenue but also re-assert Government’s commitment to combat drug menace in a holistic manner” he added.
He also initiated the process of ‘Excise Police Force’ on the occasion.
Jai Ram Thakur said that it was the need of the hour to make the campaign against drug abuse a people’s movement adding that only then this demon of drug abuse could be defeated and the younger generation saved from this social vice.
He said that advancement in technology has made curbing the menace quite challenging. He advised the Police Department to remain a step ahead to nab those engaged in drug peddling.
CM said that better coordination between the Police of neighbouring States was vital only then the chain of drug peddling could be broken. He said that it was on his initiative that steps were taken to chalk out a joint strategy to check the drug menace in the region. He said that a meeting was held at Panchkula in Haryana in which CMs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir participated. He said that all the CMs and representatives of other northern States agreed to share the information regarding drug trafficking. He said that another meeting was hosted by Punjab in which CMs of Rajasthan and Delhi also participated.
Jai Ram Thakur said that the State Government also started a special de-addiction helpline under the Chief Minister helpline-1100.
“This helpline aims at providing counselling and guidance to the patients,” he said.
He said that with a view to check the drug menace, the State Government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to make Himachal Pradesh a drug-free State. He said that a major part of the anti-drug strategy of the State Government focuses on certain drugs originally derived from plant sources such as cannabis and opium. The State Government has taken stringent steps against the cultivation and eradication of these drug-generating plants.
He said that property worth Rs. 20 crore was attached by the State Government earned by the drug peddlers and those involved in this illegal trade.
