7 States Chief Ministers Vow To End Drugs Menace

Chandigarh, 26 July 2019:

Amid apprehensions of massive drug menace spilling over the northern states, Chief Ministers of seven states attended a meeting in Chandigarh on Thursday to draw out a joint action plan to combat the rapidly growing crisis of drug abuse in the region.

The participating delegates included Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, besides senior officials representing Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh.

In this meeting, a detailed strategy and action plan for the eradication of the drug smuggling was unveiled. It was the second meeting of the northern states, which was meant to share information and intercept the inter-state drug smugglers. All states have decided to tackle this issue with joint efforts, and also agreed that detention proposals of big drug smugglers of all the states will be prepared under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The Chief Minister of Punjab said, "In the last 11 months, we have broken many planets of smugglers and have recovered a lot of intoxicants but we are targeting the border around the state." He also pointed out that the drug traffickers were not confined by national or state boundaries, and Pakistan was promoting narco-terrorism to create trouble in India.

The Haryana Chief Minister mentioned that neighboring states of Haryana are responsible for the intoxication in the state and as a preventive measure Haryana will soon have a Haryana Control of Organised Crime Act (HARCOCA) law similar to Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), to combat organised crime and terrorism.

Delhi is one of the main epicenters where drugs flow from all states and supplied to other parts of the country. Drugs smuggled into Punjab from J&K, Rajasthan besides across the border from Pakistan are making way to Delhi and beyond. Habit-forming drugs are making way to Jammu from Punjab. While Cannabis from Himachal has a market in Punjab, most infamous drug "Chitta" is now smuggled to Himachal villages along the Punjab border.

The Chief Minister of Himachal said that they have also identified around 50,000 people who are involved in the drug trade but all mostly operate from outside the country. The Rajasthan Cheif Minister added that due to the vast border area in the state, they face drug smuggling problems.

After the consignment was found, last month at the check post at Attari it is clear that there is an active and organised drug smuggling racket and network through the Attari trade route. Investigations had revealed that there is a major involvement of international drug racket based in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Customs Department had seized 532 kg of suspected heroin worth Rs 2700 crore which was being smuggled in a truck through the trade route at the Attari border, in the biggest ever drug haul. It was the biggest ever achievement in Indian Customs history.

This meeting was an initiative taken by the Chief Minister of Haryana to eliminate drug problems from the northern states. The third meeting of the seven states would be held in Shimla.

SOURCE : DNA India