Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Thursday said concerted efforts are required to fight the drug menace in the State and sought stringent action against drug manufacturers along with bringing few amendments in rules and regulations to break the nexus between drug manufacturers, sellers and drug peddlers.
Presiding over the meeting to assess the implementation of the orders to control drug abuse in the State, he said it was right time after monsoon season to uproot the Cannabis grown in high hills of the State and just make it sure to burn and completely destroy after uprooting. He said plantation of cannabis was more confined to the higher reaches of Himachal.
The Chief Minister said that promoting cultivation of other cash crops and construction of roads in interior areas of the State would help check the cultivation of cannabis. “Though we have miles to go before we make Himachal a completely drug free State, yet the steps or decisions we have taken are required to be supplemented by ‘one and all’ in true perspective to root out the evil”, he said.
Virbhadra Singh also stressed for amendments in rules and regulations pertaining to punishment which he said should be more stringent. “I am sure that the collective efforts of all will bear fruit and the results would be visible in times to come”, he said.
The Chief Minister also directed the police department to keep eye on few foreign nationals who had chosen to stay in far flung areas of Kullu and elsewhere. He said that the defaulters need to be dealt with a heavy hand. He also agreed for more Drug Inspectors to be kept in the Health department so that the Chemists involved in sale of psychotropic drugs could be brought to book.
The issue of rehabilitation of drug addicts was also far more important he said, adding that the some NGOs should come forward to open more de-addiction centres in the State particularly in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area. It was also discussed to conduct training programmes for magistrates, prosecutors and police officers as a capacity building measure.
Chief Secretary VC Pharka suggested uprooting the cannabis and trying other alternative crops on the same land. The efforts should be made to motivate people to shift to cultivation of apple or other cash crops to save the youth from drug use, he said.