Owing moral responsibility of alarming Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic substances offense, the Himachal Pradesh Government today stated that it is no exceptions to rest of world as Senior most bureaucrat announced today announced that state wide cannabis or Opium eradication drive held between Aug 22 to Sept 5 this year destroyed 3.56 Cr such plants infested in 2145.75 hectare (30,000 bigha) area in the State.
The HP State Chief Secretary Mr. Vidya Chand Pharka today said in a press conference that slew of measures have been taken to curb the social evil in the state after involving works force of 1,51,159 women and 2145,75 men including 5039 Mahila Mandals, 4285 self help groups and 5361 schools, cadets of NCC and NSS and members of NGOs, jawans of state police, Sashatra Seema Bal and Indian Border Police. He said that in Malana village of Kullu, Shilai area of Sirmaour and Tissa of Chamba police have to face the resistance as government want to take local people along in the drive however 51 more cases of under the NDPS Act.
The drive was delayed to the uproot the cannabis in Una district as plant eradication remained partly successful. The police was also getting forward intelligence about number of pockets where cannabis and opium yet to uproot. Campaign succeeded to crack down to contract farming of cannabis in Sirmour district, hybrids and new varieties of cannabis and narcotics plants were recovered from Tissa area of Chamba known as ‘Blanda’, from Malana village of Kullu.
The Campaign formally ended on September 5 was extended in the Kullu and high reaches as there are inputs that number of pockets still have the cannabis cultivation could not be covered under the drive. Having resistance from local people at Malana village in Kullu district state hired the services 62 public works Departments workers to uproot the plants in high altitudes.
The Directorate General of Police of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Sanjay Singh said that earlier it was not able to proceed with cultivators of Cannabis and Opium as it did not have sectional strength to conduct raid and eradicates its cultivation however the drive succeed to involve Gram Panchayat, Forest, Public Works Department, IPH , Agriculture, Horticulture Lands and roadsides officials in the campaign etc.
As many as 27 bulk seizure NDPS cases FIR has been registered under Prevention of Money Laundering Act transferring the cases to Enforcements Directorate. The driver have been jointly started in tandem with other neihbouring states to bring down the supplies of NDPS and to reduce its demands. He stressed the needs to further manning the state narcotic control bureau as proposal have been sent to the government to considers its proposal to strengthen the cell with staff, equipments and software in the state. He said that as many as 119 more cases of NDPS have been booked by the police this years.
