Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij quoted the number while replying to a calling attention motion on drug menace in Haryana.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij was left embarrassed in the House Wednesday after he gave out a wrong toll-free number as the one launched by the state government for information pertaining to drug smuggling.
Vij quoted the number while replying to a calling attention motion on drug menace in Haryana by 14 opposition MLAs. However, Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal pointed out that the “toll-free number given by the minister is wrong”. “I have dialled this number right now at least seven times. It says, “Kripya dial kiya hua number jaanch lein…Jab number ki hi jaanch karte rahenge toh samasya ka samaadhan kaise hoga (When we will keep investigating the number, how will the problem be resolved),” Bhukkal said.
Vij and the Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava, who was sitting in the officers’ gallery, were seen fiddling with their phones frantically to verify if the correct number was mentioned in the minister’s reply tabled in the House.
As Speaker Gian Chand Gupta told Bhukkal that the minister was dialling the number, she responded, “Ab hamein kya pata, mantriji kaun sa number dial kar lein. Maine toh jo yahan toll-free number likha hai, use hi dial kiya. Yeh dekh lo.” Dialling the same number once again on the microphone, she then made the entire House hear the “wrong number” tone.
A few moments later, Vij stood up and apprised the House that there might have been an error in the number given in the reply that was tabled in the House. He quickly added that he had dialled “the number” and it was functional, but did not reveal the number he had dialled.
In his detailed reply, Vij added, “Police is regularly monitoring the cases registered under NDPS Act. In 2018, there were 2,587 cases registered in which 3,422 persons were arrested while in 2019, a total of 2,677 FIRs were registered in which 3,551 persons were arrested”.
About the measures that government is taking to combat drug-menace in the state, Vij added, “We have established anti-narcotic cells at state, range and district levels. At least 10 anti-narcotic cells are also functional under the State Crime Branch. We have launched a WhatsApp number, a landline number and an email id where people can contact us and submit information about drug-trafficking for a prompt action”.
Vij added, “Food and Drugs Administration is regularly conducting raids and collecting samples to check for any adulteration and use of illegal drugs. Since 2015-16, a total of 5,9706 samples were collected. A total of 267 criminal cases were registered out of which 162 resulted in conviction. During the same period, 1608 licenses were suspended while 4,716 cancelled. We have also launched a crackdown on the hookah bars and cases are being filed in the courts”.