Shimla, March 2 -- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has directed the Police department to initiate a massive crackdown to dismantle the drug network in the state in a mission mode for the next six months.
Presiding over a high-level meeting of senior officers of police and other departments, the Chief Minister instructed the agencies to take stringent action against the drug peddlers and categorically stated that no one involved in the drug trade will be spared.
The government would introduce the HP Anti-Drug Act in the upcoming Budget session of Vidhan Sabha, which will clearly differentiate between the victims and drug peddlers.
He said that the government is also establishing a state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre for the victims in Kotla Behar of Sirmaur district, he informed.
Taking a firm stand against the drug traffickers, Sukhu also ordered strict action against the government employees found involved in such illegal activities.
He said: "The government employees against whom concrete evidence of drug smuggling has been found will be terminated from the service."
He said that the present state government has adopted a "zero tolerance" policy against drug menace.
He said that the properties of the drug peddlers and their associates must be attached and directed the Police department to investigate the bank accounts of the suspects.
Reiterating his commitment to secure the future of the youth and eradicating the drug abuse from the State, the Chief Minister said that he will personally monitor the anti-drug campaign on a regular basis.
He also instructed the Police department to conduct mapping of drug peddlers and victims upto the panchayat level and submit the report by March 15, 2025.
Sukhu also directed to enhance the vigilance in Pharma Companies and said that the licenses would be cancelled for those companies who are found involved in illegal sale of psychotropic drugs.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.