Ex-CM Shanta calls for action against drug trafficking

Former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar (pic) today said the police officers in the state should follow Shimla SP Sanjiv Gandhi in checking the growing menace of drug trafficking in the state.

In a press statement here today, Shanta said that in the past year Gandhi had launched a massive crusade against the drug mafia in Shimla and succeeded in eliminating half a dozen gangs, operating in the district, in addition to arresting a number of peddlers, handlers and suppliers.

Shanta said Himachal Pradesh was facing the menace of drug trafficking and abuse, which was a matter of concern therefore state agencies needed to follow Gandhi’s example and combat the menace before the situation went beyond control like that in Punjab. He said school-going children were the worst affected from the drug menace.

“The drug problem is a serious threat to public health, safety and well-being. Besides, it is considered to be the originator of petty offences as well as heinous crimes like smuggling and money laundering,” Shanta added.

He categorically stated that trafficking and abuse had continued to take a significant toll on valuable human lives in the state, adding that traffickers were also “seamlessly trafficking” various types of drugs from one corner of the state to the other, “ensuring availability” of the contraband for the “vulnerable segments” of society, who fell into the trap of these peddlers.