Shimla, May 1 -- The Himachal Pradesh government's special task force (STF) police stations aimed at combating drug menace are up and running in the state, officials said.

They said these police stations, empowered to independently register and investigate cases, have been set up at Nurpur, Una, Shimla, Kullu, Baddi, Sirmour, Mandi, Dharamshala, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Dehra.

Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had in January announced the STF to combat drug menace and organised crime. The move came in response to a spurt in consumption and smuggling of synthetic drugs over the last few years, and heroin addiction making inroads to the rural pockets, mainly Shimla, Kangra, Una, Sirmaur and Solan.

Officials had said the ...