Team formed to check drug menace in Gurugram

A special team was formed on Wednesday following the direction of Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HALSA) to check the menace of drug abuse in the city. The unit, which will be headed by additional district and sessions judge Ashwani Kumar Mehta, will create awareness about drug abuse, and take preventive measures.

Other members of the team included deputy chief medical officer, district drug controller officer, two assistant commissioners of police and a panel advocate.

District and sessions judge Ravi Kumar Sondhi said that the team will create awareness about drug abuse, related laws and how youngsters can remain away from it. The team will also coordinate with Panchayati Raj institutions to identify areas where substances such as marijuana are being illegally cultivated.

“The drug menace is on the rise and the youth are being affected by this, as such substances are easily available in different parts of the city and around educational institutions. The police are taking action against the drug peddlers, but it is necessary to create awareness about the menace, particularly among the youth,” said Sondhi, adding that the unit will coordinate with legal literacy clubs in schools and legal service clinics in colleges to make the students aware of the ill-effects of drugs.

Even some chemists and druggists are involved in the illegal supply of drugs over the counter, he said. “The unit will keep an eye on such chemists and druggists and sensitise them about the ill-effects of drugs and legal problems they can get in if continue to sell such medicines without prescriptions,” said Sondhi. The members of the team will also visit rehabilitation and de-addiction centres in their jurisdiction.

The need for such a unit can be understood from the fact that around 90 people have been arrested and 88 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at different police stations of the city this year so far. Last year, around 99 cases were registered under NDPS Act and 105 persons were arrested.

Since January, the police have recovered around 245 kilograms of marijuana from drug peddlers, while last year around 661 kilograms of marijuana was recovered.

First Published: Aug 07, 2019 23:14 IST