Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Monday stressed on a joint strategy and data sharing between states to prevent drug addiction and arrest drug peddlers.
Manohar lal while addressing the “Regional Conference on Drugs – Challenges & Strategies”, convened here to discuss and formulate a joint strategy to fight drugs, said that it was unfortunate that the drug abuse is a biggest challenge for our society.
“Haryana Government is working relentlessly to check the drug abuse. Haryana is also working with close coordination with other states to arrest drug peddlers,” he said.
Manohar lal said that verification of foreign students sponsored by NGOs should be done through the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The Chief Minister was also in favour of fast track courts for drug cases.
During the meeting, all the Chief Ministers were in favour of a common strategy to fight drugs, with Haryana CM suggesting a Rs Nasha Soochna Sachivalaya’ for information sharing.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister TS Rawat said that conviction rate in the state against drug abuse is very high.
He said that about 720 cases were registered against the drug trekkers. Various social organisations should also come forward to check this menace. More states should also be involved in chalking out a joint strategy to check this social vice, he said.
Rawat further said that this beginning would indeed go a long way in tackling this issue.
The Uttarakhand CM also expressed concern over the fact that women are also getting increasingly trapped in drug abuse.
Notably, the regional conference was organized by the Haryana Government for formulating a joint strategy to deal with the problem of drug abuse.
Responding to the letter of Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, regarding curbing the problem of drug menace from society, Haryana CM Manohar lal had recently called for a joint action by all states to eradicate the menace of drugs and lending strong support to any endevour to free the society free from the evils of drug abuse and drug addiction.
He had then invited Chief Ministers of northern states to attend the regional conference to tackle the issue of drugs.
The representatives of Rajasthan, Chandigarh and New Delhi governments also spoke at the conference on Monday.
Rajasthan Additional Home Secretary admitted that there is some diversion of opium being produced legitimately in the state, in addition to manufacture of low quality heroin and some synthetic drugs.
DGP Chandigarh, Sanjay Bainiwal, sought harsher charges for those selling drugs to kids, and suggested that such peddlers be booked under the Juvenile Act also along with NDPS Act.
Additional CP of Delhi Police Crime Branch stressed the need for data and information sharing among all the states on priority.