Measures to be taken to check drug menace in Haryana: Vij

Senior Haryana Minister Anil Vij today expressed concern over the lurking danger of drug menace in parts of the state bordering Punjab and said the government has to "come up with a three-pronged strategy to deal with the issue."
"I recently chaired a meeting in Fatehabad, it was an eye opener for me when I learnt that the drug menace in that district, which borders Punjab, had reached alarming proportions.
A month has passed since and huge quantities of banned drugs, illicit liquor, even heroin, charas and cannabis have been seized during various raids which were conducted by various agencies," the Health Minister said here.

He said the problem of drug menace not only existed in Fatehabad district, "but the danger lurks even in other districts which borders Punjab like - Sirsa, Ambala and Kaithal."
To deal with the situation and to chalk out strategy to keep the scourge at bay, Vij said a meeting was held here a few days back which was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Health, ACS-Home, ACS-Social Justice and Empowerment, State's Director General of Health Services, among others.
"I have given clear-cut instructions that we want to construct an iron curtain along the Punjab borders to keep the drug menace at bay. It was decided that across Haryana joint committees will be formed in districts and overall in-charge of the entire paraphernalia we are putting up against the drug menace, will be ACS-Social Justice and Empowerment Sunil Gulati," Vij told PTI here.

"Under no circumstances can the youth of the state be allowed to be affected by the drug menace as is happening in Punjab. Concerted efforts will be made by all departments and other agencies to address the issue collectively," he said.

"We have come up with a three-pronged strategy to tackle this issue. First it will be preventive, which is control and stopping of the distribution of illegal drugs and liquor through enforcement agencies.
Vij said the second is educative strategy, which is to raise public awareness by also involving school and college children and social organisations in this.
Under the preventive part, enforcement committee will be

set up in the districts comprising of the Deputy Commissioners, Civil Surgeon, Excise and Taxation and police officials, which will conduct joint raids and will also be responsible for assessment of the drug situation in their area and for the preparation of a district specific plan to combat the menace, Vij said.
The Health Minister said that each month he will summon review meetings of various officials concerned and seek report about the steps taken to combat the menace.
"Inputs will also be sought from the intelligence department to keep the drug menace at bay," Vij, the five-time BJP MLA from Ambala Cantt, said.

In the recent meeting which Vij held here, it was also suggested that mapping of entire state vis-a-vis the use of drugs be done by getting reports from the de-addiction centres, as the mapping would show which districts were using which types of substances for abuse, which in turn can be a good indicator to ascertain the type of intervention required in various districts.
Notably, taking action to control the sale of illegal drugs, the Food and Drugs Administration had recently raided various commercial places in Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Karnal and some other districts touching the border of Punjab and recovered some banned drugs.

The FDA had raided 20 sites in Fatehabad alone and recovered banned capsules, tablets and other drugs in large quantities, Vij, who recently had a spat with former SP of Fatehabad district Sangeeta Kalia after a NGO levelled charge of police failure to prevent sale of illicit drugs in that area, said.