HP Cong team meets CM, demands stringent law to fight drug menace
SHIMLA : A Congress delegation, led by Himachal Pradesh (HP) Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, met chief minister Jai Ram Thakur here on Tuesday and urged him to bring a bill with stringent provisions during the upcoming monsoon session of the state assembly to deal with the rising drug menace in the state.
The 15-member delegation submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and demanded that the bill should have provisions to seize the assets and properties of the people involved in the drug trade and the person, caught trading in drugs, should not be allowed to get bail at least for one year. “If any chemist is found selling any sort of synthetic drugs, his licence should be revoked immediately. Also, wherever cases of synthetic drugs are coming to light, the involvement of police and administrative officials should be thoroughly investigated,” the delegation demanded.
“It is also necessary to find out whether the drug nexus is growing in the state with the help of the police and the administration officials and, after identifying such officials, their promotion should be stopped immediately and strict action be taken against them,” it added.
Apart from this, the Congress leaders said there should also be regular scrutiny of pharmaceutical companies.
Sukhu, assuring to fully support the bill, said that the future of the youth of the state looked bleak as they were indulging in drug abuse and this problem has increased manifold in the recent past. The delegation also said it has been learnt that the state government was considering to change the names of some schemes, which are named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“If the government did so, it will be a wrong precedent. The government, instead of changing names, should start new schemes in the name of BJP leaders. The Congress will also oppose such a move in the assembly,” members of the delegation said. State Congress secretary general and Naina Devi member of legislative assembly (MLA) Ram Lal Thakur, Barsar MLA Indra Dutt Lakhanpal and Renuka MLA Vinay Kumar were among others present on the occasion.