To curb rising trend of drug abuse Himachal Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution for the amendment of NDPS Act

Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted a  non-governmental resolution moved by two Legislators belonging to BJP and Congress to reduce the increasing number of drug abuse in the state as it has taken the toll of five youths so far and many are under its grip.

Replying to the debate that saw the participation of 18 out of 68 members, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, on behalf of the Chief Minister, accepted to make the NDPS Act more stringent by terming the offense of drug trafficking as heinous as murder, granting more powers to the states for confiscating the property of traffickers and opening of a zonal office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the hill state. 

The House here adopted a resolution moved during the private member’s day by two members — Sukhram Chaudhary and Kuldeep Rathore — on the rise of drug trafficking.

In a rare move to favor the amendments to the NDPS Act to effectively crack down on the drug mafia, state assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution.

Earlier participating in two and half hours long discussion on the issue all the members expressed concern over the rise of drug abuse, especially the youth, relating to ‘chitta’, a synthetic drug.

Accepting the concern of members that the youth are falling prey to drugs Deputy Chief Minister assured that the state would strengthen the state’s anti-narcotics task force by deploying 500 more people.

The volume of clandestine trade could be estimated from Dy CM’s statement in the house that t 14 kg “Chitta” was seized in the state this year arresting 1,757 people in illicit trade. The government accepted that five youths died due to overdose and drug-related problems.

Mr. Agnihotri stated that several deaths owing to “Chitta” abuse could be higher than five deaths reported as families in many cases preferred to declare such incidents as natural death.

He said the drug-related cases have not been rampant in the state borders but also far-flung and interior areas of the state.

“From the confiscation of 14 kg of ‘chitta’ one can estimate how voluminous quantities of the drug have been consumed in the state,” Agnihotri said.

He also asked the members of the House to rise above politics and pledge not to protect the drug smugglers and dealers to save the youth from falling prey to drugs.

 Mr. Sukhu Ram Chaudhary warned that several youths are falling into its trap social malady is rising among the well-off class and youths who are meritorious are getting attracted to drugs in large numbers.

He cautioned that drug addiction centers that are running in the state also providing drugs or such synthetic products to its inmates should be given more care to save the youths from their addiction.

Member said that recently few girls who are kept in a drug addiction center run away without Information and state agencies are not able to keep an eye on them in such centres.

Mr. Kulldeep Rathore said that a reputed institution like NIT Hamirpur is not from its menace as a student died of an overdose in the hostel of NIT the campus recently.

Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, who holds a Home portfolio, informed the assembly that nearly 14 kg of heroin was seized this year.

In a written reply, he said to make the state drug free the government has zero tolerance against drugs.

Advocating for granting more powers to states to effectively combat the drug mafia, the Chief Minister said it has been recommended to the Central government that institutional framework for empowerment of agencies involved in curbing drug trafficking and to strengthen the NDPS Act to ensure strict legal action against drug smugglers and dealers.

The government’s written reply during Question Hour said this year 34 kg opium, 304 kg charas, besides 12 grams LSD, a synthetic chemical drug, 58 grams ketamine and 133 grams smack, among other drugs, were seized.

Chitta” (a white powder drug) is an extract of opium laced with synthetic drugs. It is cheaper than heroin.

 Police officers informed that “chitta” is the new lifestyle chemical drug craze, especially among the youth, in the state, where the inaccessible valleys and lofty mountains have been infamous for illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium for centuries.