Despite harsh punitive measures and efforts being made to strengthen inter-State coordination to keep a check on drug peddlers, Haryana continues to face the peril of drug trafficking.
Even as the concerned agencies are keeping a strict vigil to put a check on drug smuggling, the gravity of the problem in Haryana has remained unchanged.
As youth in Haryana continue to become a victim of drug abuse, the State has registered 743 cases of drug trafficking this year till October, as per the Narcotics Control Bureau.
last year, 840 such cases were registered under NDPS Act while in 2013, 843 cases of drug trafficking were registered in the State. 110 cases of drug smuggling were registered in the year 2012, stated the data.
Till October this year, the Police have seized1159.91 kg poppy husk, 2184.08 kg poppy straw, 303.26 kg Ganja, 626.87 kg Hashish, 4.70 kg heroin, 90.93 kg opium, 297 kg tablets of all types, 13.78 kg of other manufactured drugs, from various districts of the State, stated the data.
In the previous year 2014, 1032.87 kg of Ganja, 4.35 kg of heroin, 14383.34 kg of poppy husk and poppy straw, 42.54 kg of opium were seized by the police during its operation across the State against drug peddlers.
Chandigarh has registered 145 cases of drug trafficking till October this year. In 2012, 79 such cases were registered, 116 cases in 2013 and 150 cases of drug trafficking in 2014 in the city.
As per various studies in the past, Haryana is not far behind its neighbouring State, Punjab, when it comes to drug addiction.
Coming down heavily on the Punjab and Haryana Governments and issuing directions, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had last week termed Punjab as the motherland of the drug problem, adding that its neighbouring State, Haryana, was as bad.
According to a survey conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, New Delhi, in all the States and Union Territories of the nation, it was determined that the use of Cannabis among the children of Haryana was almost as high as 63.3 per cent. This was topped only by the use of Cannabis among the children of Uttarakhand where it was 70 per cent.
Commonly known as Marijuana, Cannabis is consumed as Hashish, Ganja, Charas, and Bhang. It is a banned substance under the Narcotics Act.
The survey also stated that in Haryana, 46.7 per cent children use inhalants while alcohol consumption stood high at 80 per cent.
According to the experts, with easy availability of medicinal drugs, drugs have started setting its roots deep among youth in Haryana and areas of the State bordering Punjab are more vulnerable in the view of drug addiction.
Recently, Haryana Government had hosted a seminar highlighting how drug trafficking and cross border terror adversely affect the national security matrix and emphasised the need to strengthen inter-state coordination.
The police have started a helpline number 88140-56100 on which anyone can inform about people involved in drug racket.