Udta Delhi: Highest drug haul in Capital in ’16

Punjab but Delhi is high on drugs. The year 2016 saw the national capital emerging as Udta Delhi with the highest drug haul for any state in the country, data tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday shows.

The information collated from investigating agencies — federal and states — on drugs banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act showed that Delhi had the highest seizure of chemical based intoxicants such as mandrax, syrup and tablets.

The anti-drug agencies caught 23,519 kg mandrax, 98,480 kg syrup and 1.77 lakh tablets in Delhi in 2016, the government informed the lower house. But, unlike Punjab and Haryana, Delhi was low on seizure of hashish, cannabis, poppy husk and heroin.

The drug haul in recent years show rising seizures in Delhi, which the investigating agencies said indicated at two trends — increase in demand and Delhi emerging as the main transit point for illegal drug trade. Experts estimate that seizures account for not more than 20% of the business.

Special commissioner Dependra Pathak said the high recovery was because of Delhi Police’s “zero-tolerance” towards sale and supply of narcotics. “Our anti-narcotics unit, crime branch, special cell and even local police make continuous and collective efforts to contain drugs supply menace,” he said.

Overall, there has been a fivefold increase in confiscation of drug in India since 2012 with highest in the decade being in 2016 — 5 lakh kg of drugs and 7.93 lakh banned tablets — estimated to be over Rs 50,000 crore in the international market.

A World Drug Report 2016 identified India as prime market for illicit opiates originating from south-east and south-west Asia because of its young aspiring population. About 60% of India’s population is less than 35 years of age.

Many state governments have identified drug use as a rising problem among youth with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat banning sale of poppy husk to addicts from licensed shops in 2016. In addition, the ministry of youth affairs has created a special fund for north-east states and Punjab to deal with rising drug problem among youth. Delhi had so far not figured in the list. Number of tablets seized Delhi Mizoram Punjab Gujarat Nagaland Assam Other seized drugs in kg