The ruling BJP-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in Haryana came under severe criticism from the opposition party – Congress and Indian National Lok Dal – on the issue of the alleged rapid spread of the drugs menace in the state here on the last day of the three-day monsoon session.
The issue came up when several of the main opposition party Congress and another opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) moved a calling attention motion on the issue.
Responding to the move, Home Minister Anil Vij said that the Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB), set up in August 2020, had imparted training to the Investigating Officers of all districts' Anti-Narcotics Cells (ANC) as a result of which properties of the culprits worth about Rs 25 crore had been attached.
Vij further informed the House that in the year 2020, Haryana Police registered 2,982 cases under the NDPS Act and arrested 4,477 persons and recovered about 221 kg of Opium, besides other drugs.
In 2021, the Haryana Police registered 2,745 cases under the NDPS act, arrested 3,975 persons and recovered about 345 kg of Opium, about 29 kg of Heroin, 13,04530 tablets and 45,280 capsules, informed the state home minister.
Vij held that in this calendar year up to August 2, the police had registered 2,334 cases and arrested 3,209 persons and recovered about 181 kg of Opium and about 20 kg of Heroin.
However, the INLD member Abhay Chautala alleged that the drug menace was rapidly increasing in 11 districts of the state, the state government’s claims, notwithstanding. Alleging that at least 329 persons had died because of the drug overdose, he said that 33 persons died during the past about one and half years alone who were aged between 18 and 30 years.
Speaking on the issue, Congress leader Amit Sihag also highlighted the severity of the menace, alleging that in Sirsa alone, where about 1,919 persons were admitted to the drugs de-addiction centre in 2015, had jumped manifold.
Sihag further pointed out that unemployment was also one of the reasons that the people in the state were taking to drugs and some of them to crimes because of the drugs. He demanded the government to give a concrete and time-bound plan to check the menace.
Other legislators, Sheesh Pal and Neeraj Sharma, also took on the treasury benches on the issue.
