Himachal assembly unanimously adopts resolution to make NDPS Act more stringent

Dharamsala, Dec 21 (IANS) Favouring amendments to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to effectively crackdown the drug mafia, the Himachal Pradesh assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution and expressed concern over the rise of drug abuse, especially among the youth, relating to ‘chitta’, a synthetic drug.

The House here adopted a resolution moved during the private member’s day by two members — Sukhram Chaudhary and Kuldeep Rathore — on the rise of drug trafficking.Replying to the debate that saw participation of 18 out of 68 members, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, on behalf of the Chief Minister, favoured to make the NDPS Act more stringent by terming the offence of drug trafficking as heinous as murder, granting more powers to the states for confiscating the property of traffickers and opening of a zonal office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the hill state.Admitting that the youth are falling prey to drugs, he said the state would strengthen its anti-narcotics task force by deploying 500 more people.The volume of clandestine trade can be gauged from Agnihotri’s submission that this year 14 kg ‘chitta’ was seized in the state. He said 1,757 people have been arrested for trafficking. Five people have lost their lives this year.’Chitta’ (a white powder drug) is an extract of opium laced with synthetic drugs. It is cheaper than heroin. Police officials told IANS that ‘chitta’ is the new lifestyle chemical drug craze, especially among the youth, in the state, where the inaccessible valleys and lofty mountains have been infamous for illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium for centuries.The Deputy Chief Minister said the number of deaths owing to “chitta” abuse could be higher than five deaths reported as families in many cases preferred to declare such incidents as natural death.He said the drug-related cases have not been rampant in the state borders only but also in far-flung and interior areas of the state.”From the confiscation of 14 kg of ‘chitta’ one can estimate how voluminous quantities of the drug have been consumed in the state,” Agnihotri said.He also asked the members of the House to rise above